


The Lost Man

by venicus



Category: Magcon (Video Blogging RPF)
Genre: Alternative Perspective, BDSM, Cheating, Chicago (City), Child Abuse, Dominance, Drama, Drama & Romance, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Family, Family Drama, Family Secrets, Friendship, Gangsters, Gay Sex, Hardcore, Italian Mafia, Love, Love Triangles, M/M, Male-Female Friendship, Original Character(s), POV Third Person, Realistic, Romance, Rough Sex, Russian Mafia, Self-Acceptance, Self-Discovery, Sex, Size Difference, Teasing, Threesome, Threesome - M/M/M, Travel, Underage Kissing, Underage Sex, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-31
Updated: 2015-11-15
Packaged: 2018-04-12 04:15:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 43
Words: 93,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4465103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/venicus/pseuds/venicus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hayes Grier is a wanna-be gangster, robbing strangers and murdering his enemies. He isn't well-respected within the gangster community, but little does he care. His vulnerability is often overlooked by his arrogance, so many people don't give him a chance. This changes when the rival mafia puts Hayes to the test to see if he really is as up to par as he makes himself out to be. While Hayes was a man always up for a challenge, he wasn't up for a challenge that would put his life at risk, so he has to find a way to get out of this chaos. There comes a time and place in every young person's life when there is nothing to do but run, so runaway he does.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Many teenage girls fantasize about being with a "bad boy", but what they define as a bad boy is terrifyingly subtle at the least compared to the truth. What really makes a gangster truly bad is not cheating on multiple women and getting into fights; it takes much more than that.  
  
 That's why Nash was so upset when he discovered a dead body in the back of Hayes' 1996 Mercedes S600 --- and yes, Hayes made sure to brag a lot about the title of his car so much that everyone knew the name by heart. The corpse was lying in a red silk bed sheet, a man wearing a tuxedo, his mouth and chest smothered in blood. The deadly smell reaked but hadn't reaked enough for it to be there for long, so Nash assumed that the man was recently killed. The man looked older than Hayes... Much too old to be talking to him anyways. Nash was so dumbfounded that he didn't know what to do, so much so that he ran back into his apartment and clenched his beating heart, feeling it thump harder and harder in his chest. He was now 25 and his brink of fame was long gone, screaming fans and adolescent worship now a faded memory in the past. He was no longer darling and young, growing a five o'clock shadow and crying himself to sleep every night. The once-teen-star-now-a-normal-human-being no longer felt the liveliness and vigor he once had when he was in his prime, now jobless and living in the cheapest apartment he could get in the ever so expensive Los Angeles. Nash was now depending on all the money he made almost a decade ago.  
  
 "Why does Hayes always have to fuck up so hard?" Nash asked himself. He talked to himself a lot due to his constant loneliness, an emotion that was now a close friend of his. His only friends were his old Magcon squad, the only people left that had faith in him other than his parents and siblings. He felt that everyone was ashamed of him, but this wasn't true. Skylynn was 14 and about to be a freshman in high school, growing up so fast that not even Nash could keep up with her. She always tried to call him every now and then, but Nash never answered her since he wanted to keep as much distance from her as possible. "You can't let people who have seen you fail stay in your life" He always told himself, but also contradicted his statement since he was still friends with the old Magcon boys.  
  
 Hayes was the only family member Nash stayed in contact with because he was so troubled. Hayes was jobless and made his money as a gangster. He wasn't well-respected but made good money and didn't care at all about what other people thought. His arrogance was what kept him going, and he thought wherever he went he thought of himself as the baddest guy in the room. The young man respected himself so much to a point where he didn't need others to respect him, so he was very distant from many people. Little did he realize this since he felt pretty happy with his lifestyle, up until he was alone at night thinking about what he was doing with himself. Even though in these moments he realized how truly unhappy he was, he kept doing what he was doing because he believed he was the best at it. He didn't want to stop playing the game because that would mean the game played him, and his ego wouldn't ever allow him to accept losing.  
  
 In that moment, analyzing his hands bloody from a stranger, Nash lost it. He began crying, questioning what Hayes was still living for. Hayes watched him from the window of the high rise building next door, wearing a fresh black tuxedo with a red bow tie. It was very important for him to look the best he could since he got so much money from robbery, so he wore nice clothes every single day. From the window that Hayes was looking into, he could see the empathy erupting from Nash. He was feeling emotions so familiar to Hayes that Hayes was now numb to them, making Hayes think about how Nash was now learning what he learned long ago. Hayes was sitting in the apartment of one of his few friends, Taylor. Taylor had a wide nose, brown hair and a fairly muscular body that wasn't too notable due to his extremely thin body. He couldn't help how thin it was, and he hated it since he thought it made him look weak.  
  
 Hayes sipped on his cocktail as he stared off into space, lost in his thoughts as Taylor paced around in his apartment ranting to his friend about whatever was displeasing him. Taylor was one that loved to rant about the smallest of inconveniences, so much so that it was almost always what he talked about. He didn't realize that his friend wasn't listening until he looked over to see if Hayes agreed with what he was saying, his face growing sour once he saw Hayes lost in thought.   
  
 "Did you even listen to what I said?" Taylor was enraged.  
  
 Hayes staying quiet, suddenly looking over at Taylor once he realized what he was doing. His eyes grew once he saw Taylor's expression and nodded, not having enough energy to fight his friend. Hayes repeated some of the things he remembered about his friend's rant to let him know that he wasn't out of tune the  _whole_ time. Taylor grew calm and recollected himself, now wondering what Hayes was so deep in thought about.  
  
 "Hey Hayes," Taylor began, taking a seat at the table with him. "What are you thinking about?"  
  
 Hayes blushed, embarrassed that he got so sidetracked. He rarely ever expressed embarrassment to anyone, feeling it made him look weak. Little did he want to look vulnerable or real, so much so that he often neglected those feelings. He only wanted to be happy, optimistic but also stern and not afraid of anything.  
  
 After not getting an answer, Taylor made himself clear. "C'mon, what are you trying to hide?" Taylor asked. "Sometimes it seems like you don't ever wanna talk about anything serious."  
  
 "I _do_ wanna talk about serious things!" Hayes answered, almost sounding like he was arguing. "I just don't like to share really personal thoughts, that's something only I will understand."  
  
 "Then c'mon, tell me what you were thinking about. It doesn't have to be a deep emotional conversation or whatever, just tell me what was on your mind. Nothing to get defensive about."  
  
 Hayes half-smiled, in the back of his mind feeling happy that he could finally take the chance to truly express himself.  
  
 "I was just thinking about how Nash has a lot of empathy for me," Hayes said. "Don't get me wrong, I'm no sad story, I'm just really misunderstood by people."  
  
 Taylor nodded, not really understanding what he was talking about but was ready to listen. "Continue, I'll hear you out."


	2. Chapter 2

 ---

"Dad, why is Uncle Nash never happy?" Sierra asked her father in the car ride. Sierra was the young daughter of Cameron Dallas, the longtime friend of Nash. The two were so close that even Sierra thought they were brothers. 

 

 "Because, what is there for him to be happy about?" Cameron asked his 6-year-old daughter. He had kids so young because he got his girlfriend pregnant when he was 21. They were surprisingly very happy when they found out the news, excited to be young parents. Unfortunately his girlfriend died because she killed herself two weeks after Sierra was born, so now Cameron was taking care of his daughter all by himself. Thanks to his fame and money he got from being in Magcon, raising his daughter was easier than it is for most young parents. Now he works as a full-time rapper, enjoying a successful career yet still not matching up to when he was famous on Vine.

 

 Sierra giggled, not understanding what he was talking about. She was much too young to understand going through depression, let alone be empathetic for those that are going through it. Cameron let out a sad sigh, silently praying that his daughter would never go through depression, even though it was inevitable. He hoped that she would never become famous; he didn't want her to end up like Nash: a distressed ex-teen star that no longer felt purpose in life. It was devastating to see him crash and burn so hard that it already felt like Nash was dead. All he needed was to get a phone call confirming that Nash had killed himself, and that would seal it.

 

 Cameron drove into the parking lot of Nash's high rise apartment. He held his daughter's hand and they made their way to Nash's room, already feeling the nerves kick in before they even saw him.

 

\---

 

"Cam, what are you doing here?!" Nash barely whispered when the family came in.

 

 "We were here to check if you were okay," Cameron explained. "Taylor told us you had a nervous breakdown yesterday and we wanted to see how you were doing."

 

 "Well why did you bring your  _fucking_ kid here?!" Nash whispered in Cam's ear. "Honestly, why do you  _always_ feel the need to drag your whole house into this fucking apartment when all I really want is to be  _alone?!_ " When he said he wanted to be alone he could feel himself lying.

 

 "Nash, don't say that," Cameron said. "You know, Tay knows, I know,  _we all_ know that you don't want to be alone. You seclude yourself from society and are the cause of your own loneliness. Maybe Hayes fucked up his life so hard because his own brother threw himself away all because of this-- this fucked up mentality that if you aren't rich and famous then you're a failure!  _No one is a failure._ The only people who truly fail are the ones that think you have to be rich and famous and beautiful and superficial in order to be relevant. Now  _that_ is loneliness."

 

 Sierra's eyes grew big and watery, shaking with fear as she knew that Cameron didn't play around when he got worked up. His words were very passionate and he was careful with every word that he said, pouring his heart out to Nash. Cameron was very emotional and at times like this he wasn't afraid to show it.

 

 "You need to get your life back together," Cam added. "That doesn't mean get Magcon together or anything like that. It just means you have to find what makes you happy and pursue it. Whether or not it is a job doesn't matter. You have to find yourself."

 

 Nash sighed.

 

 "I did not expect to be hearing Philosophy 101 today," he loudly retorted. "Cam, please stop wasting your time and trying to press your sappy spiritual bullshit on me because it's not working. Get you and your kid out of here, I'm in a bad mood."

 

 "You're  _always_ in a bad mood!" Cameron fought back. "You're so nostalgic and obsessive over your dead career that it's consumed you! We all care about you and you don't even care about us!"

 

 "Don't you dare say that,  _you know_ I care a lot about you!"

 

 "Enough of that, this isn't something to blame us for! This is all on you!"

 

 Nash fumed with anger as his self-esteem grew smaller and smaller the more he realized that Cameron was right. Nash felt that he should be allowed to live his own life and be a sad human being if that was what  _he_ wanted to be. _This has nothing to do with them,_ Nash thought.  _These people won't even give me time to grow and discover myself as a person. Cameron is trying to make me become the over-emotional bastard that he is and is expecting me to rush into things. He needs to learn that it takes time to discover yourself. This isn't bullshit that happens overnight._

 

Once Nash had some time to think, not bothering to pay attention to Cameron and Sierra who were judgmentally staring at him, he became cool, calm, and collected: a beautiful relaxation that was almost a form of nirvana. He decided to let out his feelings in a soothing way so he could be in touch with Cameron and himself.

 

 "Listen, I don't want you to be mad at me. I just need you to hear me out," Nash explained. "I am going through a really rough time. I've hit rock bottom, there's no doubt in my mind that I have and it's really difficult to get out. The problem is, escaping this isn't nearly as easy as you think. I crashed and burned really fast and it takes a lot longer to pick up the pieces and build up myself again. It's much easier said than done, I know this, so you really need to just give me time. This is a really personal thing for me, so it's hard when you guys are trying to get involved. I know it's because you care, but I really need some space. I love you Cam, I love you a lot, so I hope there's no hard feelings. I'm sorry if I insulted you or Sierra, that wasn't my intention whatsoever. I just hope you can accept me as I am and allow me to grow as a person."

 

 Cameron was a bit taken aback by his powerful speech. He felt a wind blow inside himself, a feeling of relief and understanding. No longer was there judgment and anger... The apartment was now filled with understanding and forgiveness.

 

 "I'm not mad at you, Nash," Cameron said. "I just never put it in that perspective. I'm really sorry, and there's no doubt in my mind that I will accept you."

 

 Nash took a deep breath and smiled.

 

 "Thanks, man." He said. 


	3. Chapter 3

Hayes was sitting in the back of the airplane, eating away a pack of gummy worms as he waited for the plane to take off. He made very last minute plans to go to Chicago so he could escape all the problems he was having in Los Angeles, and simply have some time for him to recollect himself. Free time for him was long overdue, as living the gangster life never really had breaks. It was a lot more work than it was cracked up to be. He could even eat gummy worms and not be judged for eating "childish food"! 

 

 Once the plane took off, it suddenly struck him that he had no plans at all. He had no idea where he was staying, what he would do there, how long he'd be there... Everything was simply improvised and he would go along with whatever happened. He decided that he would stay at the cheapest hotel he could find, maybe stop at some shops, and let life take him wherever it wanted to take him. Hell, for all he cared he could run into an old enemy and get killed. There was no set plan that Hayes had and he loved living that way. Plans were a thing of the past ever since he became a gangster (well, a wannabe gangster).

 

\---

 

When Hayes left the airport, he took a taxi and asked the driver to take him to the cheapest hotel in the area. The driver couldn't speak a lot of English, as Hayes assumed the driver was somewhere from Africa, so the driver took Hayes to Heart O' Chicago and asked for his money. Hayes thanked the driver and gave him 20 dollars, jamming his wallet in his jean pocket as the taxi took off, his radiant blue eyes fixed on the giant sign of the motel. The place looked cheap and modest so he knew he wouldn't be spending much there, making him even more excited to explore Chicago. He brought all the money he could carry in his wallet just in case, so he was even more excited to explore and go on new adventures. This would give him time to just have fun and have some time to himself.

 

 Hayes dragged his suitcase into the motel and was willing to buy any room that was available. He ended up staying in a room on the top floor with two beds and the smell of a fresh hotel. Once he plopped his suitcase on one of the beds, he jumped on the other bed and stared up at the ceiling, being able to breathe for the first time in a while. He got relaxation days like this every blue moon, so he wanted to let the quiet sink in and the fresh smell consume him. There was nothing for him to complain about.

 

 ---

 

 Feeling his stomach grumble, he punched in the phone number for room service and ordered some chips and queso. Once the room service arrived, he stuck out his wallet and gathered his money to give the person at the door. Soon enough he heard a knock on his door, and ready to receive his food he gripped his money and swung the door open. He opened the door to an auburn-haired girl with a long nose, light brown skin, high cheekbones and a thick body. She held a plate of the food he ordered, telling him in a thick accent it would be $35. He just stared at her for a moment, feeling like she looked familiar. He decided to stop since he didn't want to freak her out, giving her the money with a shaking hand as put the plate in his hands. 

 

 "If you need anything else please call me," She added with a sweet smile.

 

 "Um, excuse me," He asked with a slight chuckle. "I'm sorry to bother you, but what's your accent?"

 

 "I'm from Albania," she answered directly. She was direct but not rude... She had a very genuine feel to her. "Sorry, I hope my accent won't annoy you---"

 

 "No, no, I like it. I just wondered," Hayes said, acting a bit awkward. The girl found it endearing.

 

 "You very nice American boy," she grinned. "So many boy here rude and don't seem interested in the people that are serving them. They treat us like trash! Of course there are nice everywhere, very very nice! You nice boy, yeah."

 

 Hayes couldn't help but chuckle at her broken English, but he wanted her to feel like he was laughing  _with_ her since he didn't want to hurt her feelings.

 

 "Don't like my English?" She laughed. "I know, my English so bad. I so very sorry!"

 

 "It's fine, it's fine, I love it," Hayes said. "Uh, by the way, what's your name?"

 

 "My name? Oh, I'm Mirjeta. If you ever need me give me a call, okay?"

 

 "Thanks Mirjeta!"

 

 "See you around!"

 

 She walked away as Hayes shut the door with his food in his hand. The two of them both had the biggest smiles on their faces, the essence of that great feeling one gets after someone is just so nice it's hard to not be happy about. People could be so wonderful, even by doing those little things like being friendly to a stranger. Hayes ate his food and was thinking about her, hoping that he could meet some other nice people in Chicago as well.


	4. Chapter 4

 It had been a day in Chicago and Hayes had already met many friendly locals. First there was Mirjeta the room service woman, an old black man in the breakfast area who told stories that anyone was invited to listen to, a man who played drums in the streets with only a pot and a wooden spoon, a little girl riding a Barbie car throwing flower petals as she rode by, and many other interesting locals who simply looked like they had an interesting story to tell just by their body language and how they acted on the subway. For some reason Hayes couldn't put his finger on, he still remembered a girl that looked like the brunette daughter of Saoirse Ronan and Chloe Sevigney. He was so struck by her appearance that it felt like he wanted to show her to Nash and ask "Hey, doesn't this girl look she would be their baby?!" and Nash would of course answer "She does!" But he wouldn't take a picture of her, A because it would be disrespectful and B because she only looked about 15. She was with a big group of friends and they were all having such a good time, making hilarious jokes and just being real teenagers. Not the typical teenagers you see all over the media and on television, just being one hundred percent real and enjoying each other. It was nice to watch, and it made Hayes remember what his life was like when he was fifteen. He was so pressured to be popular, and these teenagers he was watching didn't feel that way. If he could've redone his years as a teenager and just live like a normal kid, there's no question he would. The Saoirse-Chloe lookalike was laughing hard at a joke she made with her friend, when she abruptly looked up and saw Hayes. Starstruck, but not wanting to look like a typical fangirl, her eyes widened and she walked over to him.

 

 "Hi, uh, sorry, may I..." She was suddenly being very shy, giggling without even realizing it. She had a natural veil of cuteness that was genuine and endearing. "May you please sign this?" She gave him her notebook opened on a blank page.

 

 "WHY YOU ASKIN HIM TO SIGN YOUR NOTEBOOK?" One of her friends called out jokingly. Saoirse-Chloe turned over and laughed, the rest of the subway shocked that someone of the younger generation remembered Hayes Grier.

 

 Hayes smiles and signed "I appreciate that you recognize me. Stay as happy as you are and be well-driven. You'll need to keep that happiness for the rest of your life. From Hayes, To"--- Hayes asked her for her name.

 

 "Holly," she replied sheepishly. 

 

 "THAT'S MY SISTA, HOLLY LARSON!" One of the guys pointed to her like a superstar. Holly and the boy laughed as Hayes signed her name.

 

 "Here you go," Hayes grinned as he handed her the notebook.

 

 "Thank you so much!" Holly grinned back. It made Hayes happy to see her so excited over him. She wasn't like some of the overemotional and airheaded fans that he had encountered back in his heyday. She was very genuine and a bit shy to meet him, unlike with her friends when she was very expressive and hilarious. He kind of wanted to be her friend but knew he wouldn't encounter her again. He felt this with many of his fans: wanting to be their friends but also having to set a boundary between fan and friend. Besides, she was much younger than him. He was 23 and she was almost a decade younger, he would look eerie if he tried to befriend a fan when he was no longer a teenager, let alone relevant in the media. He would meet many other people in Chicago anyways.

 

 Longing for some good old nostalgia, Hayes left the stop that the teenagers left and walked to Starbucks. Sometimes as a teenager he would walk in just to meet some fans, so it felt so refreshing but so strange to walk back in after what felt like eternity. He ordered a caramel frappuccino, just like he always did back in the day, and remembered being recognized by all the young girls. Even though he was no where near old at the age of 23, he felt old. In the eyes of a Vine star, he was old. But he wasn't the type of guy to cling to youth as all past celebrities had, so he enjoyed being rarely recognized so he would live as a normal twenty-something.

 

 The Starbucks was very crowded, so he decided to walk around the city instead of being in the bombarding company of strangers. A sea of strangers flooded the streets, but Hayes had never felt like such an individual until now. Not even in Los Angeles did he feel so independent. He was finally in a different city by himself, exploring, able to do whatever he wanted. The freedom he felt was almost too good to be true, but real it was. He admired the vibe of the city, walking by the big bean and watching people take pictures of it. Wanting to remember this feeling of freedom and personal prosperity, he got out his phone and took a selfie of himself with his frap and the big bean in the not-too-far distance, looking at the photo feeling like he was just part of something big. Something as simple as a vacation could totally change him as a person and help him to find himself. He was amazed at all the big buildings and all the curious people. Everyone there was so different, so diverse --- all the people with all their different stories and stories that were yet to be told. Hayes was so fascinated in everything around him that it almost inspired him to change. He started thinking about moving there and starting over with his life. It made him want to work on himself and become a functioning part of society. Yes, the gangster life was working for him, but he would rather be happy than have a job that would eventually screw him over.

 

 Wondering around, he found himself on Chicago's magnificent boardwalk. Amazed at the beauty of the city and the lake, he was so in the moment that he forgot about everything. Nothing else mattered but that moment. He didn't know why this trip had changed him so much, but it did. It inspired him. He was on the boardwalk for a while, even after he had long finished his frap, so he ventured around the city for the whole day until his legs couldn't take it any longer. To end his journey for the day, he decided to stop at a pizza place for dinner. He ordered a pepperoni pizza and sat at his table, sipping his martini as he mentally reviewed his day in Chicago. Coincidentally, he saw a girl walking by his table that looked a lot like---

 

 "HOLLY?!" He called out. 

 

 She looked over and her face brightened. 

 

 "Oh hey, you remembered me?" She blushed.

 

 "Yeah, of course I did!" Hayes said. "No one ever recognizes me anymore! It made my day that you knew who I was."

 

 "Oh, that's great! I was really excited to meet you, I was surprised to see you on the subway, so seeing you again is really shocking, especially in a big place like this."

 

 "So who are you eating here with?"

 

 "Eh, no one. Just myself. My friends and I left a while ago so I decided to grab something before I went back home. I just got here, so..."

 

 "W-Would you like to eat with me?" Hayes asked. "Please don't take it the wrong way, you don't have to. Seeing you alone is just kinda sad, but you really don't have to."

 

 "Sure, I'd love to," She replied. "And don't worry, I get what you mean. I was kind of hoping to eat with you, like the kind of stuff that always happens in fan fiction and stuff but more realistic."

 

 "Yeah, this does kind of feel like a fan fiction," Hayes laughed. "But it would be a really messed up one."

 

 "Minus all the romance and drama and cliche-ness," Holly added, sitting across from Hayes in the booth.

 

 "By the way, I already ordered a pepperoni pizza if that's cool with you."

 

 "Yeah, that's great, thank you. I'll pitch in and help pay if you want."

 

 "No, it's fine," Hayes said. "I'll pay. If you want anything else I'll pay for that too."

 

 "Oh, thank you! I don't need anything else but thanks for asking. I prefer pizza plain anyways, all the broccoli and stuff is too healthy for me," Holly said.

 

 "Same, and mushrooms taste weird."

 

 "Yeah, they taste like earwax!"

 

 Hayes laughed. "How do you know what that tastes like?"

 

 "Trust me,  _I know!"_ She added with a chuckle. "When I was younger I had ear infections all over the place that the smell alone tells me what it tastes like!"

 

 "That's definitely something to say when you first meet someone," He added sarcastically. They both laughed and continued their conversation, talking about multiple different things like illnesses they had when they were younger and where the boys of Magcon were now. After talk about Magcon, Holly began to ask about him. This made Hayes endeared but extremely nervous.

 

 "So what have you been doing after Magcon?" Holly asked. 

 

 He gulped.

 

 "Oh, career-wise?" Hayes asked, hoping that wasn't what she meant.

 

 "Yeah, that, but also how you've been doing and what's happened in your life in general," Holly said.

 

  "Well," he began, knowing he would have to lie about his career. He hated to do that, but he knew it had to be done. "Career-wise I've just been working in a cubicle. I know, that sounds extremely boring and not at all entertaining, but me and my coworkers know how to have a good time. We always talk to each other as we work, and we try to have the best time possible while doing some of the worst work in the world. I enjoy it a lot thanks to all the friends I've made, and life feels pretty simple to me." Hayes had no idea what he was talking about, but he tried to make it seem like he was having the time of his life. "I really like it there, and I wouldn't go back to Magcon since it feels so good to be a normal, functioning member of society without being bombarded by so many fans, some cool and some creepy. But I was definitely happy when you recognized me because I forgot how special it made me feel. I've gone so long without being recognized I forgot all the love it made me feel."

 

 Holly smiled. "Is it a lot like The Office?"

 

 Hayes chuckled. "I don't know if I'd go that far, but it is pretty fun."

 

 "So are you still friends with the other Magcon guys?"

 

 "Well you know Nash. He likes to visit me a lot because he's been an emotional wreck, but I'm still really close to him of course. I mean, he's my brother. I'm still really tight with Taylor but I'm no longer friends with Carter and most of the other guys. They were all still so obsessed with being popular and famous that they forgot to grow up. I still have Taylor and Cam though, so I don't totally regret Magcon. Magcon was really fun for me personally, but when it comes to the other guys it wasn't all that great. Jack and Jack made me miserable and I had to pretend to like their music, Carter was fake and just really badly wanted to be the popular boy, all Shawn cared about was getting the prettiest girl, the list goes on. I never truly cared about any of them except for the ones I still have in my life. All in all the rest of them are terrible people and I hope you never have to encounter them for the rest of your life."

 

 Holly's eyes widened with realization. She didn't believe a word he said, she didn't want to. Truth be told, the views Hayes held about the Magcon boys was very jaded and bleak. The boys were actually very sweet and he had been around them so long that he would hate them for the smallest of things. He saw what he thought was their "true colors" but was really a skewed version of them in his mind. He hated them so much that he didn't realize who they truly were as people.

 

 "Hayes, that sounds so cynical," Holly said. "Is that really true?"

 

 "Yes, it is," Hayes replied. 

 

 "Yeah, but where is the lie?"

 

 Hayes thought about what he said for a moment, realizing that his views on his old friends maybe were a bit too cynical to be true. That was the moment he realized he was wrong, and his arrogance wouldn't allow that. Whenever he was wrong, he would push it to the side and persist that he was right, but this time he couldn't. He lied to himself all these years, and now he had just lied to a longtime loyal fan. This was when he knew he was wrong, and when it hit him that he couldn't run from the truth any longer. Hayes had to look himself in the eyes and tell himself the truth.

 

 "You know, whenever I talk about Magcon, I'm not telling the truth," Hayes said after a long minute. "I really don't think those things about them. I thought I did, but I was lying to myself, so I can't lie to you. I think that I should get to know those boys  _for real_ next time, and once I get back to California I need to know them for who they really are, not for how I perceive them when my sadness is talking rather than my brain."

 

 "You don't have to wait until you're in California," Holly said. "You can start now. You can't be waiting your whole life for something to happen if you really want it to change. It will take some getting used to with your new perception. I'm in no position to tell you the way the world works, I'm eight years younger than you. You know more than me, so you lead the way. It's your life, anyway."

 

 Hayes nodded, feeling like both he and Holly had made a huge impact on his life. He needed many changes, and the change was about to start in that moment.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter checks up on what's going on with all of the characters while Hayes is in Chicago. All of the characters are learning more about themselves now that Hayes is gone, especially Hayes himself. For better or for worse? The answer is pretty obvious now, but will it be later on?

 ---

 

Holly played her Prince album 1999 as she drew a picture of an anime girl in her sketchbook. It was midnight and she should've been asleep by then, but she was in the habit of staying up late until 4 AM and sleeping in until half the day was over. As she was slumped on her bed drawing, her eyes left the page for a second as they wondered outside of her window. Hearing police sirens, she jumped up and dropped the sketchbook on the bed, turning off the record as she opened up the curtains wider. The police car drove by as her jade green eyes followed it, terrified. She was deadly afraid of the police ever since she attempted to murder a law officer, so she was always on the watch for police cars.

 

\---

 

 Hayes was ready to go to bed, bundled under his covers whilst staring at his phone. Staring back at him was Holly's contact on the screen. Before the two had left the pizza place, they made sure to exchange numbers so they could keep in contact.  _Someone remembers me,_ Hayes thought.  _I'm impacting someone in the new generation. Maybe I'm not so bad after all... As if my ego needs to improve, ha._

 

\---

 

There was no sign of Hayes anywhere. Nash was deadly afraid that he was out getting into more trouble, possibly in jail or getting drugged at some creepy stranger's house. Sometimes he felt like he cared more about Hayes than himself, which was on occasion a very true accusation. In hopes of calming his nerves, he turned on a movie to forget his sorrows. He turned on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs since that movie reminded him of Skylynn. She used to love that movie when she was younger, and they had good memories watching that movie together. As the beginning credits came on, he had a warm feeling that made him go back to better times. The nostalgia kicked in, but it was a warm existence. As the romantic old music played in the opening, he was living in that memory. It was like he was back home as a prepubescent, young and innocent of many of the things that were yet to come. Simply hearing the music brought him back to a better time.

 

 Once the opening ended, he turned off the TV and his whole apartment went silent. His whole world was silent. All he needed was that music. He realized that his sadness could simply be lifted if he made a blueprint for his future loosely based on the simple things he loved in his past. He didn't need all the fame and fortune, he just needed the good memories that most people got to experience. All he needed was some inspiration and to make some good memories for himself. 

 

 In order to kick-start his new idea, he decided to go on a walk and gather ideas. Walking around Los Angeles could be difficult because of all the traffic and all the people, so he got his swimsuit and headed to the beach. It was very crowded, as it always was, but all he wanted to do was walk the beach. Walking the beach proved to be inspiring to him, the sun radiating and shining on his crystal blue eyes. He felt a sudden sensation of happiness inside, realizing life could be better if he just chose a new outlook and way of life. It felt like he was in a music video, going on a personal journey as the music played. The ocean was an ultramarine --- not even a blue, blue was too simple of a word to describe the beauty of the ocean. He felt the warm sand on his toes, although difficult to walk in, it helped set the mood. He felt the ocean wash up on his feet as he walked by, observing passerby's and wondering what their life stories were. _I wonder what's going on in their heads. Are they going through the same thing I am?_ Nash thought.

 

 After Nash walked the beach for about an hour, he decided to go in the water and feel the waves. He couldn't stop smiling once he got in the water, letting the waves hit his face and he swam around and wondered. There were many people there with their friends, laughing and talking as they played in the water. He wanted to be one of them, enjoying the beach with a friend. _I'll have to bring Cam here, show him my world._

 

 Nash was having the most fun he had had in a while. It was nice to not be in the house for once, realizing all the potential he had to have fun. He was in L.A., what was there _not_ to do?!

 

 Once Nash finished his little trip on the beach, he decided to give Hayes a call to tell him about his new-found faith in himself. He wanted everyone to know about his new inspiration!

 

\---

 

Sipping a frap as he sat on his bed in his motel room, Hayes was watching Wendy Williams when he got a call. Hoping it would be Holly, he frowned when he saw Nash's name on the screen.

 

"Great, I was in _desperate_ need of a good dose of melancholy!" Hayes sarcastically said to himself as he picked up the phone. Nash never had anything positive to say, so he was taken by extreme surprise when he heard what Nash had to say.

 

 "Hayes, I have the best news!" Nash beamed on the other end, taking off his swimsuit as he brushed off the sand that was hiding under it.

 

 "That's great! What happened?" Hayes couldn't believe what he was hearing.

 

 "Nothing major to you, but I took a walk on the beach. I went swimming for a bit and had a great time! It made me realize that my life has so much potential to be good again, I just need to go out and reach for it. I can't just wait around and expect it to get better, I have to look for opportunities and go for them. I'm feeling great, man. I hope you are too, I really do." 

 

Hayes could hear the smile in his voice, so much that it made Hayes smile too.

 

 "I'm really happy for you," Hayes said. "You deserve to be happy. Stay that way, man."

 

 "I will, I will, thank you. I'll talk to you later."

 

 "Okay, bye man. I love you, bro."

 

"I love you too."

 

 Hayes hung up the phone and continued watching his show, setting his frap on the nightstand, grinning at the phone as he set it down.

 

 "He better stay that goddamn happy or I swear to God imma go back to L.A. and spank his sorry ass," Hayes laughed to himself. "But forreal I feel great for him. He deserves to be happy and it's about damn time he is. It's long overdue."

 

He grabbed back his frap and sipped it, savoring the beautiful taste. That taste never got old. No wonder white girls drank that shit like holy water. Hayes sipped his frap, wanting to stay in Chicago forever.  _Maybe I can,_ Hayes thought.  _Maybe I can..._

 

\---

 

Taylor got an aggressive knock on his door. Taken by surprise, he stopped for a minute before he opened the door. When he opened the door, a worried Cameron Dallas as standing at the door by himself.

 

 "I'm sorry for that scary knocking," Cameron began, "But WHERE IS HAYES?! He suddenly disappeared and he won't answer his phone whenever I call."

 

 "I dunno, mane," Taylor shrugged. "You ain't his mom, why you so worried?"

 

 "I'm so worried because a week ago he promised he would watch Sierra while I was in New York, but he vanished and I don't know what happened to him! Don't even act like you don't know about his gangster life, he gets into really bad trouble."

 

 "Cam, Cam, don't sweat it! Here, I'll watch Sierra and you'll have nothing to worry about! I'll take a vacation from work and it will all be good. You're all set, man."

 

 "It isn't just about that. No one knows where he is! Nash was about to ask him, but once Nash got on the phone with him Nash was being too sappy and high on himself to ask where he was. I'm glad Nash is happy now but he's getting distracted, so now no one knows where Hayes is."

 

 "No one needs to know where Hayes is. He's a man now, we aren't kids anymore!" Taylor argued. "Let Hayes stay wherever he is. We aren't his parents, for god's sake!"

 

 Cameron sighed. 

 

 "You're right," Cam couldn't fight back. "You're absolutely right."

 

 He went straight back to his house, not even saying goodbye. Everyone was changing and he wasn't ready to keep up.


	6. Chapter 6

Skylynn was staying at Cameron's house to watch Sierra. Taylor didn't feel like doing it so he paid Skylynn to do it instead, and of course Skylynn would take the chance to earn money being 14-years-old. She looked so grown-up now that she was in high school, but she still had an essence of childishness with her blonde hair, big eyes and round face. Skylynn was a very sweet, genuine girl that admits she regrets having a YouTube channel at such a young age. She felt very embarrassed by the old videos she did with Nash despite being complimented by so many strangers. Whenever her and Nash had the occasional argument, more often than not they were arguing about how Nash used Skylynn to win the love of naive teenage girls. It still irritated her that Nash used her to be famous, at least that was the way she saw it. No matter how many times Nash told her that this wasn't the case, she never believed him, and it was hard to not be sympathetic for her. She herself was a very empathetic person, putting herself in other people's situations before judging them, and she never even had to think about it. She was so naturally empathetic it was endearing.

 

 Sierra was playing with some toy blocks as Skylynn was texting her friends in a group chat. She was laughing hard at some of the things her friends Riley and Pieter were saying. Riley was talking about how these high schoolers were smoking weed on the playground and telling him their sexual confessions. The confessions were hilarious and really weird, and Skylynn being weird herself enjoyed it very much. Skylynn sort of had a crush on Riley, but there was no point in telling him since he was gay. It kind of hurt that she knew he would never like her, but it didn't bother her enough for her to say anything.

 

At the height of the conversation, her quick wit made her reply with some of the best comments in the whole chat. She was laughing so hard that Sierra began to feel ignored.

 

 "Sky, why are you laughing so much?" Sierra asked. Skylynn preferred to be called Sky since she thought the "-lynn" part was trashy.

 

 "Sorry, I'm so sorry," Sky said in the midst of her giggling, trying to hold herself together. "I'm just talking to my friends, I'll tell them I gotta go. I'm so sorry."

 

 Still unable to contain her laughter, she texted goodbye to her friends and turned off her phone. She began playing with her fake black nails that she happened to be obsessed with. They were so fun to play with! Finally finding focus, she began to help Sierra stack the blocks. Sierra giggled which made Sky's eyes widen with annoyance. One thing she hated was the high-pitched voices of small children. They annoyed her so much she wanted to smack them. She was in no way a bad person, but she didn't like children all too much. She only liked the children that were mature and didn't have  _those_ voices.

 

 "Why do older girls always go on their phones?" Sierra asked with  _that_ voice. The girl was lucky she looked like the female version of her father or else Sky would've already whooped her ass. 

 

 "We always go on our phones because we can talk to our friends," Sky answered, trying not to use that sugary voice that teenage girls seem to always use when they talk to little kids. That was one thing that annoyed Sky so much: that fake-ness and lack of ingenuity. It made them look basic and typical, which was what Sky despised the most about some people.

 

 "You're lucky. I'm so excited to grow up."

 

 Sky laughed. 

 

"You say that now," Sky began, "But enjoy where you're at. Every stage of life is fun, you just have to have a good outlook. Enjoy being little because it goes by fast, and you probably won't remember it if you don't make it count."

 

 Sierra smiled. Sky assumed that Sierra had no idea what she was talking about, but Sky didn't really care. She wanted to be nice to Sierra even though she kind of annoyed her. It wasn't because of Sierra herself, it was simply  _her voice,_ that childish high-pitched voice that almost every little kid had. _If I ever had kids, I swear to God they will be mature and never have that voice,_ Sky thought. That was one of the reasons why she was afraid to have kids.

 

 Whilst playing with the blocks, Sky wanted to spice up their time together. She decided that if she was going to have to hear that voice she would need to make the time count. Sky got up and rummaged through Cameron's stash of records. Of course he had some of his albums that he recorded, the records that Skylynn pretended to like. She remembered that once Dylan Dauzat made his record, she made it very clear to the boys of Magcon as well as the friends of the boys that she was tired of them all wanting to be singers.

 

 " _JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE A YOUTUBER DOESN'T MEAN YOU HAVE TO MAKE MUSIC!_ " Sky yelled as an angry 11-year-old. She was so done with the boys making music that all sounded the same to her. "BESIDES, YOU ALL SOUND LIKE ICEJJFISH!"

 

 The boys all gasped at this statement, insulted by how rude and straightforward she was being. They were so used to being praised by their friends for their accomplishments that they never stopped to think about how people really thought about them. At this point, Sky didn't care about how they felt. She was so done that she had to be blunt.

 

 Anyway, she looked through all of Cameron's countless Drake and multiple other rap albums, looking for some music she would enjoy. Giving up on her search, she pulled out one of Cameron's records and showed Sierra.

 

 "You see this, Sierra?" Sky lightly nodded as she gave a solid smile. "Have you ever heard your father's music?"

 

 "No," Sierra admitted.

 

 "Well, I think it's about time you listen to the music your dad produced back in the day. Isn't he still a rapper? I dunno, I don't keep up with Nash's friends. I've gotten so fed up with them over the years I don't really care about them anymore. I love them as people but not when it comes to their careers. They did some stupid stuff to get famous, man."

 

 At this point Sky was rambling to herself as she began playing the record on the CD player. Cam's song "She Bad" was the first track, and immediately she felt the judgment in the room. Sierra looked terrified that  _her father_ was a rapper. No father should be a rapper. Ever. It wasn't that Sierra thought the song was bad, she actually really liked it. She just didn't like the fact that it was her dad singing it. Every dad was supposed to be uncool, that was just the rule. Sky kind of wished her dad was a rapper --- it would be a great conversation starter. It would be pretty funny too.

 

 Sierra was enjoying the song very much. Meanwhile, Sky was cringing. We all have different tastes. As they all say, diversity is the spice of life.

 

\---

 

 Hayes was hanging out with Holly a lot since she was his first real friend in Chicago. Yes, he did meet very friendly people, but they didn't talk enough to be considered friends. Hayes had forgotten all about his life back in Los Angeles, and the Magcon boys were totally erased from his memory. It was as if he was a living a completely different life in Chicago. Instead of having tacos for dinner every single day and doing crime at night, he was now exploring by day and relaxing at night with his good friend Holly. Holly was very attracted to this whole idea of having an older friend. She had never had a boyfriend or even be asked out, so she was excited that someone was actually interested in taking them to their house. They weren't even dates, they were not romantically-oriented whatsoever. She was just excited to be alone with a man.

 

 One night, as Hayes was watching The Legends Panel with Holly, which they soon discovered they had a shared love for, they were just sitting on the couch casually when Holly begins to get a weird feeling. It had already been a week since they first met and she already felt like they were close friends. She loved him, but only in a friend way of course. The weird feeling she had wasn't about Hayes, it was about how he viewed his friends. 

 

 In the midst of the episode, she decided to bring it up.

 

 "Hey, um, Hayes?" She began. "Can we talk for a second?"

 

 Hayes turned off the computer and let her begin.

 

 "Yeah, sorry. I just--- I was thinking about what you were saying about your friends last week at the pizza place. I know it's none of my business, and it shouldn't matter, but---"

 

 "Did it bother you?" Hayes said for her.

 

 She nodded.

 

 "I don't know why, it's not because of you," Holly said. "I just wonder if I bothered you like they bother you."

 

 "No, not at all!" Hayes was being one hundred percent honest. "Just sometimes you get tired of your friends after a few years, especially when they do Vines and wanna do a bunch of other stuff like become actors and rappers and stuff. They just wanted to do  _everything_. It got annoying. It has nothing to do with how I view other people, just them."

 

 "Thanks, I just wondered. I like you a lot, so I just wanna be on the same page."

 

 "Thanks, I like you a lot too. You're really cool."

 

 "That means a lot," Holly beamed. Her smile was so adorable and endearing; she was like a baby kitten and Hayes wanted to squeeze her. He thought of her more as a daughter than a girlfriend, so his affection was nowhere near sexual. 

 

 Holly tried to think of another question she had been thinking about a lot, this being the perfect time to ask questions. Then it finally came to her.

 

 "Oh, and what you said about Nash being a mess. Was that true?" She asked. "I hope you don't think I'm only hanging out with you because Magcon, I just have a lot of questions."

 

 "Don't worry, I know you wouldn't use me," Hayes reassured her. "But Nash, eh. He  _used to_ be a mess, I must admit that. But in the past few days or so he's really changed. Now he's finally happy again, and hopefully that also means he'll get a job and be a useful person in society. He's a lot better now, and I think me being gone has really made things better."

 

 Holly smiled.

 

 "We've been talking a lot about me," Hayes said. "Let's talk about you. Tell me about your friends."

 

 "Well, there's not much to me," Holly began. "I have a lot of friends in school, and most of them I love very much.  _Most of them._ My best friends are without a doubt Hannah, Tim, Olive and Jae-Hwa. I love them to death, oh my god. They're so hilarious and really weird. We always have the best time together since we always know what to say. We are definitely the hype team, we know how to make a room go wild and get people excited. I couldn't ask for a better pack. But when it comes to the friends I am just friends with to be friends with, I really wish I could just have the courage to tell them I don't like them. I'm all about keeping it real and being genuine, and I feel like I'm not preaching that philosophy by being friends with those kinds of people. I guess everyone has those kinds of friends, but I wanna rise above that.

 

 "Holly, we all have friends like that," Hayes said. "It doesn't mean you're fake, because you are definitely one of the realest girls I know. Those friends will eventually disappear, and the ones that truly matter to you won't. It sounds simple, but it doesn't feel simple. You're still growing up, and even I'm still growing up too. I'm 23 and I'm still finding myself, I couldn't imagine being 15 again."

 

 "It's fine, the whole fake friend thing doesn't really get to me. I'm without a doubt a huge optimist so I get pleased by the dumbest things. Overall I think I have a great life even though I'm not living what is traditionally excepted as one. I'm enjoying it so far, and I think that really small things like going on walks and listening to music is what makes life count."

 

 Hayes grinned. He loved the friendly aura of this conversation. He felt free of judgment and just let his thoughts out without self-restraint.

 

 "That's great, that really is," Hayes replied. "I'm also really optimistic too, but sometimes I lack the sense of being a realist so I think of unrealistic things. I just wanted to have that gangsta kind of life like 'fuck bitches get money', but I realized that wouldn't make me truly happy. I think what makes me really happy is when I'm being true to myself and don't care about what other people think. I was so obsessed with this world that I lost touch of my own. I felt like I had all the answers but I didn't. I still don't."

 

 "And neither do I, I'm just spewing all my thoughts," Holly added. "I know I probably sound like a typical teenager who thinks they have all the answers and knows all the secrets of the world, but I swear that's not me at all. I'm just spewing my feelings, dassit."

 

 "Exactly, but this conversation is free of judgment, so don't worry about sounding like that. We should say whatever is on our mind and not care about judgment. I won't judge you, and you won't judge me."

 

 "True."

 

 "So don't stress it, just express yourself. I love hearing your optimism. Our views about life and stuff is so much alike that it's like you're reading my mind. It's seriously so spot-on. Even if you had different thoughts I'd still be interested, but I love how we have so much in common because of such a simple thing as insight."

 

 "My thoughts exactly! I appreciate differences since it makes life interesting, but it's nice to have someone that has the same views as I do since I have a hard time relating to people. No one seems to care about the simple things so I sound like I'm childish and pretentious."

 

 "No, no. You're very mature and not pretentious. You aren't saying these things to reach an aesthetic," Hayes remarked. "As long as you're keeping it one hundred, it's all good."

 

 "Very true, I can't stand fake people," Holly said. "A lot of the people I meet try so hard to look like they're perfect and famous and all that stuff, and it seems like no one wants to be original anymore. EVERYONE LOOKS THE SAME!"

 

 "Everyone wants to look wealthy, and it gets so old. They all look exactly the same with their overdone makeup, skinny bodies and nice clothes that all look the same. Nothing is wrong with being skinny, wearing makeup or expensive clothes, it's just that everyone wears those things the same way and it gets old."

 

 "Yeah, exactly. Sometimes I wanna look like them, but then I realize that I'm glad I'm different. I never want their faces because to be blunt, I like mine better. I like my body because it isn't really skinny, and even though girls that are skinny wear it well, it wouldn't look good on me. I don't need boat-loads of makeup. All I have is foundation for my acne scars, but I don't need a Kylie Jenner face either. She's gorgeous, don't get me wrong, but there's only one her and one me, but for some reason everyone wants to look like people like her. It gets old real fast and I'm sick of it."

 

 "I'm happy you're so confident but still compliment other people," Hayes commented. "Please don't take this the wrong way, but I do think you're very beautiful and you're so intelligent. I respect you a lot."

 

 She blushed and couldn't believe what she heard. "Thank you so much, really. I think you're really handsome, to be completely honest. Please don't think I'm flirting or anything."

 

 He giggled and gave her a hug. 

 

 "It's all good, I'm not taking it the wrong way." Hayes said. "You're really cute."

 

 "Aw, you're so nice!" She blushed.

 

 Hayes hugged her with his head on top of her's. He had the best feeling in the world of true friendship: something he hadn't felt in a long time.


	7. Chapter 7

\---

 

"You guys, we have to get back on Hayes!" Cig said.

 

 "Why hasn't he come back? Isn't kinda weird that he works independently?" Stevie said.

 

 These were all gangsters involved in the Pink Panthers, a mafia based in America but solely depended on Serbian-Americans. Due to the fact that Hayes was not of Serbian descent, let alone Slavic descent at all. Since he wasn't Serbian, or even Italian or Southern European, he was independent. Many people know that gangsters should be apart of mafias, it's only common knowledge, so therefore he was labelled as a wannabe gangster. The true gangsters despised him because even though he did the same level of crimes that he did, he wasn't apart of a specific group. They wanted to hunt him down and show him who's boss. No one was gonna let him get away with what he was doing. Cig, the godfather of the American-based Pink Panthers, would be the first person to make sure he was captured living or dead. He was more than determined to make Hayes pay the price for being the mediocre gangster he was.

 

 "He isn't even working, he's simply trying hard to be one of us!" Cig argued. "We allowed him to be an associate but he wouldn't even take that position. He's a disgrace and we gotta let him know who's boss! We gotta show this pussy motherfucker what a real mafia is, not this self-employed bullshit he's spewin'!"

 

 They were all sitting at a coffee table in a dark room. This was where they always held meetings and talked about business. Here they were to craft a plan as to how they would track down Hayes. They had no idea where he was, and they weren't going to let it stay that way. Some of the members found a way to track down his family, and they had the phone numbers of Nash and Skylynn. Some of the members even went as far as to stalk the Instagram of Skylynn, which sounds ridiculous when one reads it, but it truly is genius since she always posted pictures. There was a new picture of Skylynn with Sierra, the caption saying "My wife :D". The Panthers knew where Cameron lived, so they knew exactly where to go.

 

 "You guys, I know where Skylynn is!" Dragan said.

 

 "Brilliant! Where's the bitch now?" Stevie asked.

 

 "She's at Cameron Dallas' house! We gotta get there now and shakedown that bitch!"

 

 They all hopped in a sleek black car and drove off to Cameron's house.

 

 ---

 

 Sky was giving Sierra a piggyback ride around the house, running around and laughing as she jumped around with Sierra on her back. Sierra was laughing with her, the both of them having a lot of fun together. Long gone was the annoyance with Sierra's voice; now the two were having a great time together. Sky long forgot about the money, she was simply enjoying her time with Sierra who felt like a cousin. 

 

 Suddenly, there was a ferocious knock on the door. Even though it was almost 8 PM and Cameron promised he would be back by then, she wasn't one hundred percent sure if it was him. There was no peephole or anything for her to be able to see who it was, so she wasn't sure if she should open the door. Cameron was very clear when he instructed her not to invite anyone in who knocked on the door unless it was him. Deciding to take a chance, she opened the door nervously. When she opened the door---

 

 "Hi Sky," Cameron smiled, giving Sky $50. "Thanks for babysitting. How did it go?"

 

 "It was really fun! I'll be more than happy to babysit her again!" Sky beamed, relieved it was him at the door.

 

 She took the money and thanked him. They said their goodbyes, Sky walking in the elevator afterwords. She just stood in the elevator, lost in her thoughts when the elevator stopped at floor 12, suddenly feeling the warmth of fellow humans walking into the elevator. Suddenly, she was being shaken and held by her shirt against the wall.

 

 "LISTEN LADY, I DON'T WANT ANY TROUBLE!" Cig screamed in her face as he held her against the wall.

 

 Sky felt her face heat up, wanting to cry but everything around her looking like a blur. Everything happened so fast she couldn't keep up.

 

 "WHAT DO YOU WANT?!" Sky shouted.

 

 Cig gave her a hard slap across the face. Her face hardened as she struggled to escape his giant hands. His sleek and handsome physique was very misleading as he was extremely rude and hostile.

 

 "BITCH, YOU BETTER TELL ME WHERE HAYES IS NOW OR WE'RE GONNA MAKE YOU!" Cig shouted as all the men surrounded around her. There were about eight men present standing around Cig, and she was more than terrified since they were complete strangers to her.

 

 "I DON'T KNOW WHERE HE IS!" She began. She was being completely honest. "PLEASE --- WHY DO YOU ---"

 

 Cig slapped her again, this time even harder.

 

 "THIS FUCKING VIRAGO BETTA ANSWER!" Diamond Joe shouted.

 

 "I REALLY DON'T KNOW, PLEASE STOP!" Sky was feeling hopeless. What was there to do? She wished that she had stayed with Cameron just a little bit longer, truly feeling like she was going to die that night.

 

 The elevator stopped at the next floor. The men all turned around, seeing a frightened man with a bouquet of roses in his hand. Stevie sucker-punched the man in the face, the innocent man falling to the floor with blood gushing out of his mouth. Wanting to help the girl, he yelled out, "YOU BETTER LEAVE HER ALONE, THAT'S MY GIRLFRIEND!" 

 

 Sky was flattered since she had never met the man, but she wasn't sure if it was a good idea or a very stupid one. A few other men who were assumed to be his friends walked in and began fighting the men. Cig dropped Skylynn on the floor, leaving her to fall hard on her ass and watch the men beat each other. The fighting went by quick when there was a stop at the next floor, and the man with the flowers gestured for her to leave the elevator with a smile on his face. He was getting the living shit beat out of him as he did this, showing how courageous and beautiful he was. That was an amazing man, and Sky couldn't thank him enough. She quickly crawled out of the elevator with the fifty dollars still in her pocket. That man truly was a hero, him and all of his friends. That along proved that the human race truly is a beautiful thing. Minus some of the bad people in the world, there were wonderful people like that man and his friends. She felt more than blessed that they stepped in not to save themselves, but to save _her._ A complete stranger that knew nothing about her success when she was a little kid.  _I can never thank those men enough,_ She thought. Her breath was taken away by their noble, courageous act. She hoped they knew how wonderful they were.

 

 Sky took the bus home, realizing that people were giving her strange looks once she boarded the bus. She got out her phone to use as a mirror and realized she had a giant bruise by her eye. _This marks the day those men showed the courage to stop evil,_ She thought, trying to make positive light of her injury. Her heart was beating so fast, still struck by the rush of what had just happened to her. Everything escalated so quickly that it was all a blur. She was so taken away by not only the Pink Panthers and their evil, but most of all by the men that helped her. Every night for the rest of her life, she would pray for those men and wish the best for them. She couldn't ever feel more thankful than she did in that moment. Without those men, she could've been raped or killed. No words could describe how she felt. Nothing like that had ever happened to her before, and she was more than shocked that her day had ended that way. When she got home that day, she ran right to her room before her parents could ask her anything. 

 

 Lying under the covers, her head poking out, she was staring at the ceiling, not able to get it all out of her head. She was obsessed; there was no way she could describe how she felt. No one could know except for Nash--- If Nash didn't know, who knows what they would do with Hayes. Then there were multiple questions that popped into her head, like how did they know she was there? How did they know her? How did they know she was related to Hayes? How did they know Hayes? What did they want with Hayes? It was all so scary that she didn't sleep that night, her mind swarming with questions. Innocent of the truth and afraid of what was yet to come, she was deathly worried about Hayes now. She had to call him, she had to know what was going on.


	8. Chapter 8

As Nash made himself breakfast on a so-far blissful morning, flipping pancakes and grilling the bacon as he listened to NPR, he hummed to himself when suddenly his phone began to ring. He paused to radio and continued to flip pancakes as he picked up his phone and saw that Sky was calling. He was shocked to see her name on the screen since he hadn't talked to her since the downfall of his career. Even though he was very taken aback, he answered the phone in hopes she wanted to have a relationship again.

 

 "Hello?" He answered.

 

 "Hi Nash," she greeted. "I hope you don't mind me calling. We haven't talked in years and I really miss you, but there's something I really need to tell you about."

 

 Although Nash knew she didn't have bad intentions, he felt a bit insulted that she just wanted to cut to the chase and not even ask how he was doing. He hoped this was just a misinterpretation and she was going to say that she missed him a lot.

 

 "What is it?" He asked, hoping she would say something about the past few years without him.

 

 "Well, first of all, I apologize. I haven't talked to you in forever, and I really miss you being in my life. Ever since you totally cut me out of your life for no reason, I've been desperate to see you again or at least get a text to know how you're doing. I've missed you a lot and I wanna know what I did to make you never wanna see me again."

 

 It relieved Nash that she called to check up on him so they could be part of each other's lives again, but he also didn't appreciate her ignorance about Nash's situation.

 

 "Listen, I didn't 'cut you out for no reason'," Nash began. "I wanted to keep in contact with you, but I felt like I failed you. I was embarrassed to be your brother and be apart of your life since I was no longer ' _the Nash Grier_ '. Once my fame crashed and burned, I was just Nash. There was nothing special about me. I was no longer cool or even remotely interesting... At least that's what I thought at the time. I cut out everyone that I thought I let down, but now I'm a changed man and I know that I can't just cut people out. I wanna be apart of your life again, and it was really selfish and one-sided of me to cut you out. You did nothing wrong, it was all my problem. It truly was. But now that I'm a changed man, I promise I will never cut you out ever again. I am not my fame and my fame doesn't determine whether or not I'm worthy."

 

 _Well, that escalated quickly._ Sky thought, but despite that, she truly appreciated what he said. She felt bad that she didn't consider what Nash was going through; she had no clue what was going on in his mind that made him do the things he did. 

 

 "Thanks, Nash," Sky smiled at the ground. "I appreciate that you manned up. I really didn't understand what you were going through."

 

 "Thank you for understanding," Nash said. "I hope we can be close again."

 

 "I hope so too."

 

 There was a moment of silence. They wanted to take in the moment before moving on to the next topic.

 

 "So," Nash said after a moment. "What did you want to tell me earlier? You know, before that whole thing?"

 

 "Oh, yeah," Sky nervously chuckled. "I wanted to ask you about Hayes."

 

 Nash gulped, his heart stopping once she said his name.

 

 "What about Hayes?" He began to sound snippy.

 

 "Oh, yes," Sky's face flushed once she realized she would have to tell Nash what happened. She was nervous to tell anyone about what happened, but she knew she had to tell someone. "So, I was babysitting Sierra last night for Cameron. Well, once Cam comes home and gives me my money, I step in the elevator and everthing's fine. So then there's these guys that were all dressed up like gangsters that walked into the elevator. Before I knew it, they cornered me in the elevator, pinned me to the wall and started yelling 'WHERE IS HAYES?!' First of all, I have  _no idea_ how they know me or Hayes or anything, so since I haven't seen Hayes in years I tell them I don't know. He slapped me and asked me again, so when I repeat myself he slaps me harder. Then these really great guys who I've never met in my life come in and save me, so I just wondered what you knew about Hayes. Do you know what happened to him?

 

 Nash gulped. His eyes widened once he realized that the gangsters had had enough of him. Nash was already well aware that Hayes was hated by the gangster community, and he expected this to happen if Hayes had stayed in the game long enough, and Nash felt like at this point Hayes was hopeless. Nash had no idea what to do.

 

 "Listen, Sky," Nash began. "I have A LOT to explain to you."

 

 Nash explained to her that Hayes was a gangster and his status wasn't well-respected by other gangsters and mafias. When Sky heard all of this, she didn't want to believe it, but after what happened she knew it was true.  _Damn, Hayes is screwed,_ She thought.

 

 "So where is Hayes right now?" Sky asked.

 

 Nash almost dropped the phone. He didn't know! The last time Nash had talked to Hayes, it never crossed his mind to ask where he was.

 

 "Shit, I don't know!" Nash said as he put his pancakes and bacon on a plate. "I'll call you later! Bye Sky, I love you!"

 

 ---

 

Hayes was waiting in the long line at Shedd Aquarium with Holly to check out what all the rage was about. Hayes was excited since he had never been to this aquarium, and Holly was telling him multiple funny stories she had heard from other friends when they were there. In the middle of their talk, his phone began to ring in his pocket, but not wanting to be rude he simply declined the call.

 

 ---

 

 "UGH HAYES, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING RIGHT NOW?!" Nash cried at the phone as he took a bite of his bacon.

 

 Nash repeatedly called the number over and over until eventually Hayes excused himself and said he got an emergency call. Hayes walked off into a private space outside and picked up the phone.

 

 "Dude, what're you calling me for?" Hayes said. "I'm at the aquarium right now."

 

 "HAYES, THIS IS AN EMERGENCY!" Nash panicked. "THESE GANGSTER GUYS FOUND SKY AND ASKED WHERE YOU ARE! APPARENTLY THEY HAVE SOME UNFINISHED BUSINESS WITH YOU AND YOU NEED TO HANDLE IT! I NEED TO KNOW WHERE YOU ARE SO THAT THEY DON'T GO THERE AND FIND YOU!" 

 

 Hayes began to feel his heart beat fast right when Nash said the word "emergency". Little did Hayes plan what he would do if another mafia was after him, so he felt stuck. He didn't know what to do. He stood there for a minute, feeling himself about to cry when he tried to think fast.

 

 "Just --- If they find you, please tell them I'm in London," Hayes said. "Everyone will be safe and nothing bad will happen, I promise."

 

 Hayes knew it was a stupid idea, and when the mafia found out he lied, there was no doubt in his mind that they would kill him and his whole family. He felt hopeless and knew he would have to come up with a better plan in the meantime. What options were there, if any?

 

 "Dude, that's a stupid idea," Nash argued. "Please tell me where you really are so we can think of something more realistic to do. If we lie, we get killed. If we tell the truth, you get killed. It's all worst case scenario."

 

 "That's where I am," Hayes lied. "They will never find me here, I swear to God the city is so big they'll never find me."

 

 "Are you really eight hours ahead?" 

 

 "Yes, it's around 17 o'clock right now," Hayes said after doing mental math. "For you that's 5 PM, so because of our different time zones we can't really talk much. Bye Na-"

 

 "Dude, you can't just dismiss me like that. I know you're stressed and you don't want to talk about it, but we have to come up with a solution NOW!"

 

 Hayes really didn't want to think about this, his heart pounding the more and more he thought about it. He was too arrogant to believe that the mafia wasn't good enough to be out to get him, but he soon realized that he wasn't above anyone. The mafia simply did not care about Hayes and how much of an egomaniac he was. As a matter of fact, the mafia used this to their advantage since it meant that Hayes would assume nothing would happen to him since he was too stubborn to believe someone could possibly kill him. His ego made him so used to winning that he forgot that all people lose sometimes. The truth came out to be that his ego only hurt him.

 

 "Nash, please --- You don't understand how hard this is on me!" Hayes said. "I really need to think about this, you don't realize how quick or how slow gangsters can be. You would only get it if you were in the game, and you aren't. _I am._ I really gotta go and think this through. I don't want anyone to die because of this. Bye Nash!"

 

 Hayes hung up the phone, Nash standing there as he listened to the sound of the call ending signal. Taking an aggressive bite of his bacon as he poured syrup on his pancakes, Nash sighed as he whispered to himself, "We are all sooooo fucked."


	9. Chapter 9

Holly and Hayes had a lot of fun on their trip to the aquarium. However, the main thing that was on Hayes' mind the whole time they were there was what he was going to do about the mafia. He wasn't even sure what mafia it was, so he was extra fearful of what was yet to come --- at least, the possibility of it coming. It scared Hayes to death and he tried to keep a poker face the whole time so Holly wouldn't think he was having a bad time with her. He was having a lot of fun being with her, but there was also the fear in the back of his brain that had nothing to do with Holly. How could the mafia find him, and why did it matter so much to hunt him down? Of course he knew they were tired of him taking himself too seriously, their intentions being to show him what a true gangster is, but it all sounded silly to him. Remembering the lie he told Holly about working in a cubicle, he had to stick with it or else it would hurt Holly and label him as a liar even though he was only trying to protect himself. Additionally, she would never believe it if her favorite Magcon boy grew up to be a mobster. It didn't sound realistic, despite it being the truth. He wasn't stupid and he knew he had to keep it secret for countless other evident reasons.

 

 As the two headed out of the aquarium after a few hours of being there, they made hilarious conversation about their day there and cracked multiple inside jokes. Hayes was attempting to give himself a mental break from thinking about the mafia, and so far it was slightly working. After Hayes and Holly went out for coffee, the mafia was now on the back of his mind. He was now much more laid-back and was having fun with his friend. Besides, he almost never got scared about these things. Although he learned his arrogance made him weaker, it was difficult to fully shake off, so he didn't. 

 

 He decided to end their day by inviting Holly to spend the night at his motel. Holly said yes, so she called her parents and told them she was going to [insert typical girl name]'s house. Her parents were always very strict, so she was lucky to get away with lying this time. 

 

 "They don't allow me to hang out with boys," Holly explained. "If they found out I was with you they'd think I was being a smartass."

 

 ---

 

 After hours of hanging out and talking on Hayes' bed, Hayes was already in deep slumber. Sleeping in a fetal position with his arm slumped on the edge of the bed, Holly wasn't tired at all and wanted to take advantage of this time. Grabbing Hayes' phone, she went into his phone and got the numbers of the Magcon guys onto her phone.  _Thank God he doesn't have a password,_ Holly thought.  _Besides, I'm not doing anything wrong. This isn't snooping!_

 

 She set the phone back on the nightstand the exact way it was before. Holly felt nervous that somehow he would find out, or worst case scenario he was awake and witnessed it all. Despite the loud snoring of Hayes, she was still paranoid and didn't believe herself when she knew she was overreacting. Anyway, Holly walked around the room, smelling that fresh hotel smell that when you smelled it you knew you were on vacation. It was the best smell, and it brought back some of the best memories of Holly's childhood. Most of her childhood was spent in hotels, so much that she thought she lived in them. She felt like her life was a vacation, and in some ways it was, but in millions of ways it wasn't. These events that made her life a nightmare rather than a vacation did scar her, but most of all they made her a stronger person. She planned on telling Hayes these things later on once he had been in Chicago for much longer. She never told anyone these things. 

 

 Nostalgia kicked in as she thought of some of her favorite childhood memories. She overlooked the bad ones for the sake of not wanting to wake up Hayes to the sound of her crying. Sitting on the sink as she studied her side profile in the mirror, she realized she was a bigger fan of her right side rather than left. It was simple moments in the hotel room like this one that made her life feel complete. She loved that she could do simple things and have it be a good memory to her. These were the staples of her "vacation".

 

 To set the mood, she got out her phone and put on her headphones, playing an old Janet Jackson song as she studied herself in the mirror. She was obsessed with how she looked. Not in a way that made her want to look perfect, but she always loved looking at herself. Of course she didn't always like what she saw, but 99% of the time she was more than happy with what she saw. She was obsessed with her face; she loved it. Even though Holly wasn't arrogant for the most part, her face was one thing she was secretly very cocky about. She never told anyone of her narcissism except for her friend Olive who was an egomaniac. Despite Olive being an egomaniac, Holly loved her. They related very well and had similar personalities and interests. This was the only person she could explain her feelings to without sounding like an asshole. But still, she looked in the mirror whenever possible just to study her beauty. She didn't have to be skinny or wear tons of makeup to feel beautiful, she was already obsessed. 

 

 Now shutting the door to get some privacy, she listened to Janet sing in her headphones and she did her business in the bathroom. There was something soothing about going to the bathroom whilst listening to a legend, something evidently too much information. She put on "Rock the Boat" by Aaliyah to get the right vibe she felt at the motel: calm. The song reached her aesthetic, and Holly changed out of her skinny jeans and over-sized Harvard sweatshirt. Eyeing herself in the mirror with only a hot pink bra and thong on, she was debating whether or not she was presentable in the bedroom. She didn't want it to seem like she was trying to hook up with Hayes, and in addition to that she was very insecure about her stomach not being flat. Holly was a bit pessimistic about her luck with boys: she assumed they all wanted superficial girls that were a size 0 with perfect skin, perfect faces, perfect personality, perfect everything. 

 

 Gaining confidence in herself after telling herself "He won't care, he won't care," she walked out the bathroom with her clothes in her hand. She saw from the doorway that Hayes was getting out of his bed, and his eyes widened once he saw Holly. She blushed, shyly explaining that she didn't wanna sleep in her clothes, etc. etc. Hayes didn't care; he was staring at her extreme hourglass figure. 

 

 "Damn," he said with a smile, still groggy from just waking up. He looked cute when he was dazed and had messy hair.

 

She stood there, not knowing how to reply.  _What's that supposed to mean?!_ She thought, confused at his reply.

 

 Hayes took off his shirt and pants, leaving him in his boxers. Holly felt her face flush even more, if possible, and was pretty sure he was gonna ask for sex. He patted on the bed as a gesture for her to join him, so she sheepishly made her way to be bed and sat beside him. Hayes could tell she was nervous, and that was when he realized what he was doing.  _Shit, she probably thinks I'm asking for sex,_ He thought.  _Fuck it, she's really pretty. I'll just cuddle with her, nothing big._

 

 Hayes rested one hand on her waist and one hand stroking her chin, giving her a kiss on the lips. This was Holly's first kiss, leaving her blushing and overwhelmed with the best feeling of love. It was in the air, she knew it. The two of them smiled so bright, Holly kissing him again as he held her in a loving embrace. Hayes wrapped his arms around her, fell on the bed with her, and held her with her head buried in his chest. He stroked her hair as they cuddled --- well, huggled. The two had both known each other for a month, so it was shocking how quickly it escalated. What went from a short vacation went to  _a month,_ and this happening only ensured even more that he would be staying in Chicago lover. _  
_

They both saw it coming; everyone did. And now, it was finally  _happening._


	10. Chapter 10

\---

 

 Cameron was furious with his daughter, yelling at her when she refused to let him cut her fingernails. He attempted to hold her on the couch, but she always threw a fit whenever he did. Infuriated over what felt like a big deal at the moment, he was so done he threw the nail clipper on the couch as she bawled her eyes out. After a few seconds of staring at the ground, done with Sierra's bullshit, Cam's phone began to ring. Throwing Sierra in his room and shutting the door, he picked up his phone and saw it was Nash calling. He answered the phone as Sierra's now-muffled screams got quieter.

 

 "Hey man, what's up?" Cam said.

 

 "Hey, has Hayes called you lately?" Nash said on the other end.

 

 "No," Cam's eyes narrowed. "Is he doing okay?"

 

 "Yeah, he's doing great. He just gave me a call telling me about this girl he has a crush on. Crazy, right? He wants us to meet her."

 

 "Oh, that's great. What's her name?"

 

 "Her name's Holly, Holly -" -- Nash quickly checked his texts with Hayes for her full name -- "Holly Larson. He let me talk to her on the phone for a little bit and she's really sweet. They sound like best friends, I swear to God. I don't know why Hayes has been in London for so long, but he seems to really enjoy it. I didn't ask him much about London since the conversation was mostly about Holly, but I hope to hear more about what's going on there. It doesn't sound like he's getting into a lot of chaos, and you know that's unlike him."

 

 Cameron's eyes widened. " _Damn_ , that's great! Hopefully he's a changed man."

 

 "No, no. The only thing that's changed about him is that gangster life. Dassit."

 

 "Don't be so sure, man. A long vacation like that can change a person."

 

 "Yeah... But anyways, he wants us to meet her through Skype. He wants us to talk to them so we can better get to know his  _ladaaaaaay!"_

 

_"OOOOOH, LADAAAAAAAAY!"_

 

 _"YAAAAAAAAAS!_  But forreal, we gotta be cool. We wanna impress her because she's a big fan of Magcon."

 

 "SHIT, SHE REMEMBERS OUR MAGCON DAYS?" Cameron was shocked. 

 

 "CAM! OF COURSE SHE DOES!" Nash said. "I assume she's around Hayes' age. She looked really young but maybe that's just her face."

 

 "Great, I can't wait to see her. See ya later, dude."

 

 "Yep, bye man."

 

 ---

 

 Hayes had totally forgotten that he lied to Nash about London. So when Hayes was asked about his vacation, he accidentally slipped and said that Chicago was amazing.

 

 "CHICAGO?!" Nash texted back. "DUDE! You didn't have to lie to me, it's all good. That's such a weird lie though, man."

 

 "I know, I only lied because I was scared about the mafia," Hayes texted. "It was a bad moment."

 

 "It's all cool, we just gotta make sure THEY don't find out. So what time we meeting your girlfriend?"

 

 "She's not my girlfriend, Nash. We just had a little fling. She's my friend."

 

 "Yeah, yeah; but seriously what time?"

 

 "Let's do it in a few minutes. DON'T EMBARRASS ME IDIOT!" 

 

 "XD"

 

 Nash called Cam so they could both be in the same place during the Skype call. They decided to do the call at Cameron's house because Sierra wasn't at daycare that day, and they REALLY didn't want another babysitter after what happened last time. Yeah, Cameron found out ALL ABOUT IT from Nash and Cam was enraged.

 

 Anyways, Cam logged onto Skype and got in a video call with Hayes. The friends laughed at each other as they waited for Hayes and Holly, and soon enough they were on the screen. 

 

 "HAIIIIIIIIIIII!" Holly and Hayes greeted sarcastically in unison as they waved at the screen. 

 

 "HAIIIIIIIIIIIIII!" Cam and Nash replied in the same manner.

 

 "So this is MY BEST FRIEND Holly!" Hayes said as Holly threw gangsta signs.

 

 "Hi Holly!" Cam and Nash giggled.

 

 "Say hi, Holly," Hayes said.

 

 "IF I HAVE TO MAKE THE 'HI HOLLY' JOKE ONE MORE TIME, IMMA BLOW THA FUCK UP!" Holly shouted sarcastically.

 

 The boys laughed, all of them being ridiculous and having fun. They all had a lot of fun talking to each other, instantly clicking, but Cam was struck by how beautiful he thought Holly was. Cam talked a lot to the whole group, but mostly talked to Holly, unintentionally hinting his interest. He couldn't stop staring at her. Nash didn't feel this way, not thinking anything about how she looked. Holly in no way was superficial-looking or perfect, but many agreed she was very pretty. Of course the superficial boys didn't think she was, but she felt she was so she didn't care.

 

 Anyway, in the midst of their hilarious conversation that all parties were immensely entertained, there was a hard knock on Cam's door. Scared to death that it was the mafia, Cam got a concerned look.

 

 "Should I open it?" Cam asked Nash.

 

 "I dunno," Nash said in a voice.

 

 Cam was shaking, unsure. He peeked at the crack under the door, looking at the shoes of the people standing outside the apartment. Relieved, he recognized the shoes being Jack and Jack's. He opened the door, greeting them with high-fives and hand shakes.

 

 "Oh yeah, I said they could come if that's okay," Cam said, forgetting he had invited them.

 

 "That's cool, I love these guys!" Nash said as he high-fived Jack and Jack.

 

 Jack and Jack got introduced to Holly, and the conversation got even better. They were talking about the weirdest things, the conversation reaching it's peak. Everyone was having so much fun together that even after the conversation was finished, no one could stop laughing. Cameron and Jack G both talked about how attractive they found Holly, leaving Jack J and Nash to say in unison, "Y'ALL THIRSTY!" 

 

 Even though they were all pretty much friends with Holly and loved her already, Jack G and Cam were the most impressed with her. Jack J and Nash didn't understand since they weren't attracted to her, so they simply watched their love fest and said the whole time things like-

 

 "KEEP IT IN YOUR PANTS, GILINSKY!"

 

 "CAM, DON'T TALK ABOUT HER THAT WAY!" 

 

 "LOOKS LIKE SOMEBODY WANTS HAYES'  _LADAY!"_

 

Of course it was all said with sarcasm, Nash and Jack J laughing hysterically, enjoying themselves much more than they should've. No matter how childish the things they said sounded, they were having a lot of fun and so was everyone else, so that was all that mattered. This was definitely one of Hayes' favorite nights in Chicago.

 


	11. Chapter 11

While Holly's parents were gone and the house was silent for the first time in eternity, Holly was texting her friends Cam and Hayes as she sat on her bed and listened to music. She was living the dream, and even though the Magcon boys had long lost their fame, it felt so unreal. She didn't care that they were now considered "normal people", it was so unreal. Nothing like this had ever happened to her. Fame didn't matter, it was the boys themselves. Even though she had always been a big fan (although admittedly she didn't like Nash before she met him), she had liked them so much better now.

 

 While Holly was texting her new friends, Hayes was eating at Girl & the Goat for dinner. It was now the evening and Hayes enjoyed having some alone time, which he suddenly remembered was his original plan for this trip. He felt so fortunate that his original plan didn't work out, but he was enjoying some time alone. He loved his friends, but everyone needs the occasional alone time.

 

 As Hayes ate his fries, he realized that he needed to pull away a little bit from his friends back at home. The whole point of him going to Chicago was to get some space from them, so he wanted to take in the full Chicago experience and not talk to them so much. He always had them when he got back home, so what was the point of always calling them?

 

 ---

 

 Holly ended up talking privately to Nash because Cam had to go somewhere. Cam sometimes talked about this Sierra girl who Holly assumed was his girlfriend, so she knew she didn't have a chance with him. She was beginning to have the smallest crush on him, and since it had only been a few days she knew it wasn't a big deal. Besides, she could just tell she didn't have a chance with him. He was 28 and she was 15! But she hadn't told him her age yet, so perhaps she could lie to him --- But wait!  _That was what happened with the law officer, and look what happened!_ Holly thought.  _I can never go back, I just can't. You promised yourself that ever since you had a crush on Cig, you would never date older men ever again. The past can't be repeated or else I might end up in prison this time!_

 

Yes, you heard that right: Holly used to be involved in The Pink Panthers. She was never a mobster, but she was a friend of Cig. He was a wise-cracking, quick-witted man that made her fall deeply in love with him. Cig used to live in Chicago, but ever since he got into huge trouble with some of the gangs there, he fled to Los Angeles and became the godfather of the American version of The Pink Panthers. Cig and Holly were in love with each other when Holly was 13, but neither of them admitted their feelings to the other, so it was more of a flirtationship. Holly didn't know he had fled the city, so she thought that he died since that was what she heard from people at school. He was suddenly gone, and even as she got older she still cried about it. The fact that he didn't even say goodbye, just faked his own death and left her believing he was murdered. It made her depressed for months; it felt like he was her  _boyfriend._ Holly was devastated.

 

 The last time Holly had ever seen him, they were running from the Bloods together. She never forgot running for her life on those streets, her love for him hitting so hard as he ran in front of her, allowing her to watch her lover from a distance. He looked so beautiful when he ran, so perfect and sweet and romantic. It felt like smooth music was playing as they were running on a beach while the sunset; it even looked as beautiful as that scenario, the sun was even setting as they ran. The sky was romantic shades of pink and baby blue and violet, leaving her with the aesthetic of a beach after a storm. It was beautiful. Although he was fearful of his life, as was she of course, she took in the moment as a romantic moment they had together. Cig was her first love, and for that she could never thank him enough. He was the best first love anyone could had: their friendship was beautiful and untouchable.

 

 When Cig's beautiful face looked back at her, running for his life, he had the biggest, most real and genuine smile in the whole world once he laid eyes on his first love. He felt like she was his girlfriend even though they hadn't even kissed, let alone confess their mutual emotions for each other. They were deeply in love, and everyone knew it. It was sweet to watch, but so tragic once he ran into the fog. When Holly continued running after him with a huge grin on her face, finally escaping the fog, the smile faded away once she saw that he was gone. He was nowhere in sight, even after looking for him, she didn't want to believe that he was gone. His smiling face was the last thing she ever saw of him, so she ran home feeling unbelievably upset that night. She was in no way overemotional, but she was devastated. She loved that boy with all her heart. She didn't care if people said it was just teen love, it was  _real._ Love is individual. Everyone feels love in different ways, and this was her first time ever being truly in love. And now, the fact that he was gone forever was inevitable. He was gone  _for good._

 

 Cig, his real name being Oscar, changed his name so he could form The Pink Panthers. Not being Serbian himself, the reason why he wanted to create a mafia in Los Angeles that was native to Serbia because many of his new friends in LA were Serbian. They always talked about the revival of The Pink Panthers being in LA, so Oscar decided that if he was going to be apart of the mafia, he would be the boss. He was always an independent thinker and a natural-born leader. Oscar now always wore all black with a bandanna around his head. It was almost like Cig was meant to abandon his lover, for if she ever saw him this way it would make her feel even worse. It was fate that she hadn't seen the new him; she didn't even know there was a new him. Oscar "Cig" Anders was dead, but little did she know he was resurrected as a godfather. The fact that he ended up meeting Hayes proves that it truly is a small world we live in.

 

 Wrapped up in her thoughts about Oscar, she quickly tried to forget about it by not talking to Cameron. She needed some time alone to collect herself. She hated randomly remembering the days with Cig... Every time she remembered them she would cry herself to sleep. That was how bad it was for her. It hit her hard, and nothing ever got to her that bad, not even in the slightest.

 

Deciding to embrace this time after realizing she wasn't going to forget about it, she decided to listen to the music that she listened to during that time in her life. It brought back so many good memories, many of which where the best memories of her young life. The first one she listened to was "[If It's Love](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FblFZz7y_Lk)", the song that played in her mind during her last moment with Oscar. Watching him run away, she heard the chorus play in her mind. She knew this was extremely corny and cliche, but she couldn't help but have these feelings. He made her become this person, this euphoria of not caring about the rest of the world was all because of him. He was one of the essential ingredients of making that year the best year of her young life, and if she could live it again she would. She thought she was weird for having so many strange aesthetics, but since she never told anyone she couldn't really judge herself.   
  
 Did Cig ever think about Holly? Not nearly as much as Holly thought of him. This was because whenever he remembered her, he regretted never saying goodbye. Cig built an empire for himself in Los Angeles, and he didn't regret leaving, but he wished there could have been a way for Holly to still be in his life. Their innocent love affair might not have been "official", but both of them felt it, and he knew that. Both Holly and Cig had moved on from each other, but they wanted to change up the ending. Both felt like they were still friends, even though they didn't know if the other felt that way too. They wanted to check up on each other, but both were unsure if that was what the other person wanted. If only there was a way for them to tell each other, but there wasn't. Whenever Cig thought about Holly, he wanted to relive those moments just like how they happened. He wouldn't change a thing, other than the time he ran away. If he could've redone that moment, he would've. However if Holly could redo it, she wouldn't. Many would think she would want to since that was a bad turning point for her, but she wouldn't change a thing. That's just the way it was supposed to happen. Especially because she wouldn't take away that moment watching him run. She wouldn't take it away for the world. That was one of the best moments of her young life. This was one of those moments where it hit her that he was her first love.  
  
 As Cig and the rest of the Panthers planned how they were going to find Hayes, the last thing on Cig's mind was Holly or Chicago. Unfortunately he was so hung up on trying to find Hayes that he forgot about what really mattered: learning how to be on good terms with people. He always had a hard time being in a relationship, whether it be a friendship or a romantic relationship, and continue to be on good terms when the other person began to slip away. When he wanted to end it, he would either simply disappear or he would end it with harsh feelings on both sides. It was hard for him to realize this about himself, and no one thought he would ever realize this. It was unfortunate that he didn't see through it, but he had no idea. No one in the Panthers would admit it because it would show emotional attachment, and Panthers deemed this as showing weakness. This sounds like every single stereotypical mafia, but that's just the way it was.  
  
 Cig combed back his hair with his fingers as he stared out the shattered window of the bar he was at. As he sat at his small table with a drink in his hands, he took a sip as he had time to think. He didn't trust himself alone in his thoughts, as that was common for everyone and not just mobsters. As Holly was going for a bike ride in Chicago, Cig had no idea what she was doing. He began to think about her, wondering what she was doing in that very moment. It was starting to get sadder and sadder the more he thought about it, wishing he could turn back time and cherish her longer. He was happy about the choices he made, but he wish that he kept her along the way. Not even as a lover, but rather as a friend. They got along so well and clicked instantly. Both of them could relate in many ways and had some of the funniest and sweetest moments together. Just simply talking was a perfect moment for them. That was when he realized that he would do anything to go back to Chicago and see her. He wondered if she still lived on that same street he used to always visit, sitting on the steps in front of the apartment complex with her, talking about whatever was on their minds. At the time she was only thirteen and he was 18, but she lied to him and said she was 16. He still thought she was 18, wondering what college she was going to now and so on. Since mobsters are expected to be older guys, it was quite shocking that most the people in the Panthers were his age or older, so Holly would be flabbergasted if she ever found out. Still he kept up a good reputation and was well-respected by the familiar mafias.  
  
 Anyway, the more he thought about Holly, the more he wanted to leave the bar so he could go home and cry. He darted out the door and drove home, knowing he had to go and see Holly again. He couldn't stand trying to keep himself together when all he needed to feel better was four hours and thirty minutes away.


	12. Chapter 12

Holly was listening to "You & The 6" on her iPhone as she rode her bike one evening. She didn't know what Hayes was doing, and she was shocked that he was going on vacation for so long. She wondered if he was telling the truth about the cubicle, and that he no longer worked there and now he was trying to start a new life in Chicago. No matter what the reason, she always forgot that he was on vacation and was convinced he actually lived there. 

 

 As she rode by Starbucks, she saw a familiar person sitting at one of the tables facing the window. They looked up and they made eye contact when she realized---

 

 Holly almost fell on her bike.  _It was Cig._ Their eyes widened as they continued to make contact, locking eyes even as Holly rode away. She stopped at a traffic light, contemplating whether or not she should go inside and visit him. She wasn't 100% if it was him. Plus, **wasn't he supposed to be dead?!** She could feel her face soften, her mouth getting wetter.  _Was that who I thought it was?_ Holly thought.

 

 "Was that Holly?" Cig whispered. It was a busy place so no one could hear him over all the bustling conversation.

 

 Cig ran out, looking for Holly. By the time he got there, Holly was already biking across the street.  _Shit,_ he thought.  _It was her!_

 

 And before he knew it, she disappeared in the slamming wave of strangers. He sighed, fuming the more he thought about how he blew his chance. What was he gonna do now? He knew the address of her apartment complex, but it had been so long that he forgot how to get there. He decided to take a bus and let fate take him the way it wanted to.

 

 ---

 

 Sky had just finished babysitting Sierra after four hours of Sierra watching continuous reruns of Sesame Street. "Are you sure you don't wanna go outside and play?" Sky always said in an attempt to let out her hyper energy, but Sierra always ignored her and continued watching the show. Sky actually kind of enjoyed watching Sesame Street since it brought back good memories, but she was dying to get out and run around.

 

 When she finally heard Cam knock on the door, she was so relieved and ready to get her $50 that she ran to the door and hugged Cam. Cam smiled and hugged her back, kissing her on top of the head without thinking about it. She blushed, trying to stop herself from smiling. He handed her the money and thanked her for her hard work, so out the door she went still feeling Cam's kiss. Even though it was innocent and there was no meaning behind it, Sky couldn't help but start thinking the thoughts that had been stored in the back of her mind forever.  _Why can't I stop thinking about that kiss?_ Sky thought.  _I don't like him that way, that's weird._

 

 Cam soon realized that he was supposed to walk her out. He didn't want what happened last time with the men to happen again, so he began to worry. Sky was thankful he was gone so she could talk to herself in the elevator and get out what was on her mind. She was telling herself to stop thinking about it, but she would always impulsively shove her fists on her mouth when she thought about it since she was confused and embarrassed. Sky was feeling weird, and she knew something was developing, and she was trying to deny it. She was trying to trick herself into not thinking about it, but she was too smart to play that game. Sky could see right through what she was doing. It sounds complicated, and that's because only she understood it. 

 

 Sky stopped talking when a few floors later, a few other people walked into the elevator. They looked quite familiar, and when she realized who they were, she jumped up and ran away for her life. Before she could get anywhere, someone pulled her back by the shirt and told her to stay there.  _Why does this always happen?!_ Sky thought.

 

 "What now?!" Sky retorted.

 

 "Nothing, we just wanna tell you something," Stevie said. "We've changed, we don't do that anymore."

 

 "We're sorry," Dragan added. "We were just doing boss' orders. Our apology is lame, but we hope you can accept it."

 

 This was the dumbest thing Sky had ever seen. They were a sorry excuse for a mafia.

 

 "Whatever, a real gangsta would never pull that," Sky said. "Y'all are unprofessional. Disrespect."

 

 The elevator stopped then for the next floor, and as the new batch of people walked in, Sky swaggered out and took the stairs. She was so disgusted by them that she'd rather take the stairs than be in their presence. 

 

 ---

 

 "Well, now we know we can't lie to her," Diamond Joe said to the rest of his crew as they walked out the complex. "So being nice to her won't work, and neither will being professional. What's gonna work?"

 

 "Nothing will," Stevie said. "Nothing's gonna work because Cig ran away. He told no one where he went and if he doesn't come back, the fate of the mafia is in danger. How can we role without the boss?"

 

 "We can," Dragan said. "We are independent, we can role by ourselves. We've got eight of us, we can do this."

 

 The four other men that weren't talking were mostly sidekicks. Their names were irrelevant because they never helped in decision making or really anything. They were only sidekicks, so really there were only four of them.

 

 "What's really important now is getting the good stuff from Nash," Diamond Joe said. "Obviously the little sister isn't doing shit for us, so we gotta get Nash to spill everything we gotta know. We can just take his phone if he doesn't wanna tell us anything."

 

 "Great plan! We can Yellow Page his address, and we can finish all these simple steps and get to our goal. It's perfect!"

 

 The men all got in their car and headed to Nash's house. They didn't have time for loitering, they had to get it done and then get what they wanted.

 

 --- 

 

 Nash was out buying groceries, and he had never locked the door of his apartment since hardly anyone ever visited him. No one really knew where he lived, and he had lived in just one of the many doors on that floor. He thought there was no reason to lock it. This made the job so much easier for the Panthers, especially since he left his phone on the kitchen counter.

 

 Stevie looked through his phone as the men looked around the house, trying to find something expensive or valuable. But to no avail, it just looked like a normal apartment, so they couldn't take anything. However, Stevie found a lot of juicy information about Hayes. He looked through all their texts when his eyes darted to the texts about Chicago.

 

 "You guys, Hayes is in Chicago!" Stevie shouted.

 

 "Chicago?!" The men all circled around Stevie as they read through the conversation.

 

 Stevie kept on gathering as much information as he could from the texts.

 

 "Okay, so we all know that he is in Chicago!" Stevie said. "So we gotta wait for them to text about  _where_ in Chicago, because that place is huge."

 

"We can't just wait! We gotta shake it out of him!" Dragan said.

 

 "We do that later if we can't find anything," Stevie said. "We gotta be as sneaky as possible if we wanna do this right. So waiting we will do, but we won't be patient long enough for Hayes' little  _vacation_ to end."

 

 "Right." The rest of the men agreed.

 

 Stevie put the phone back and the men took off. Now they knew where Hayes was, but there was more to be discovered. Little did Hayes know that as the days went by, the men were getting closer and closer to him as Hayes was living in carelessness. 


	13. Chapter 13

\---

 

 Cam and Nash decided they wanted to go out and just be guys. They were having fun of being with all their other friends, but they wanted to have some solid one on one time together. After planning on having the most radical, spectacular, in their words "the most diabolical" hotel adventure, they made a reservation at Holiday Inn. Since they were hearing all this talk from Hayes about his amazing stay at his motel, they were in the mood for some hotel time themselves. Once they checked into their room, they raced each other to the stairs and ran into their room,  sarcastically scuffling as Cam put in their room key. Once he opened the door, they bolted into the room and jumped on different beds. They laughed hysterically for a moment and gave each other a high five across beds, enjoying the time they had to be immature and hysterical.

 

 "Man, I felt a rush just then," Cam snickered.

 

 "SAME! That's the most fun I've had in a while," Nash said. He jumped on Cam's bed and grabbed his arm, yelling, "AND NOW WE'RE GONNA HAVE SO'MORE FUN!" 

 

 Nash cackled as he jumped up on Cam and began tickling him. Cam being insanely ticklish, he was dying. He couldn't stop laughing, demanding Nash to stop, breathing heavily and struggling to leave his grip. Nash continued to hold onto his friend, tickling his all over that Cameron couldn't take it anymore. With all his might, Cam jumped up on Nash and began to tickle him. Nash got out of control, attempting to squirm out of Cameron's hard grip but to no avail.

 

 "YOU LIKE THAT, DON'T YOU?!" Cameron guffawed as he tickled his friend.

 

 Nash screamed which sent more laughter in the room. They laughed so hard their sides were hurting. The men recollected themselves as they sat together on the bed, peaceful silence once they were done getting out all their laughter. After a moment of silence, Nash let out a deep breath.

 

 "Wow," Nash said.

 

 "Yeah," Cam affirmed. "That was really fun."

 

 "It was... And really painful."

 

 Cameron chuckled. 

 

 "Yes, it was, but it was some nice BDSM."

 

 The boys laughed hysterically, Nash shouting, "WHAT?! WHERE'D YOU GET THAT FROM?!" There was a knock on the door, so the boys had to recollect themselves again as Nash went up to get the door. When Nash opened it, it was an angry middle aged woman who looked like a Stepford wife.

 

 "My children and I are trying to enjoy our time at this hotel!" She shouted. "Please be quiet or I'll file a noise complaint!" 

 

 "I'm sorry, ma'am," Nash calmly replied. "We'll be quiet, I swear. We didn't mean to disturb you and your family."

 

 She sneered and sashayed back to her room. When Nash shut the door and returned to the bed, the boys turned to each other and began laughing again.

 

 --- 

 

 Holly was in the salon with her mother, getting her hair done by her mother's friend Sharon. Sharon was very friendly and was more than happy to dye Holly's hair blue. She chose to dye her hair a turquoise color, giving her a style that had wavy ends. Holly was so excited, and since her hair was so thick, it took forever for Sharon to wash it and brush through it. Holly's mother kept on complaining about this, telling Holly that she had to find some way to thin it. Sharon assured her that the bleaching would do the trick, and Holly held her breath and wanted her mom to just shut the fuck up.

 

 When Holly's mom, Dinah, began talking to Sharon about their days in high school back in their hometown in Detroit, Holly began tuning in when she heard them mention something about a man they knew named Clare Anders who had a son named Oscar. Soon the name sounded really familiar, when Holly just had to ask---

 

 "Does Oscar happen to go by the nickname 'Cig'?" Holly asked Sharon.

 

 Sharon and Dinah laughed hysterically.

 

 "'Cig'?" Sharon repeated. "Is he some kind of rapper or something?"

 

 "No, he just doesn't like his name," Holly made a fake chuckle.

 

 "'Cig'... I'll have to ask Clare. Ever since Oscar's mother died it hasn't been the same in their family."

 

 "Really? I thought Oscar died two years ago, but I saw him a few days ago and was shocked to see him again. We used to be really good friends."

 

 "Really? He's a bit older than you."

 

 "Yeah, but we knew each other from a friend of a friend," Holly explained. "Things happened and we just instantly became best friends."

 

 "With a boy named Cig?" Dinah cackled. Holly hated her laugh.

 

 "Mom, I always called him Oscar," Holly defended herself. "He only went by Cig when he was with these guys."

 

 "Really? Weird," Sharon replied as she continued to snip the ends of Holly's hair. "We never had nicknames back in the day, we just went by the names we were given. Back when I was Sharon Valentine and Dinah was Dinah Dykman."

 

 "Oh my God, that was so long ago," Dinah said. "I can't believe we were once so young."

 

 "And now your daughter is! Isn't that wonderful?"

 

 "Ugh, _please_!" Dinah scoffed.

 

 Holly watched herself blush in the mirror. Dinah was always so insensitive that Holly never got embarrassed anymore, so Holly just stared at herself in the mirror and blocked out the rest of their conversation. She wanted to ask more about Oscar, but she didn't wanna bother them. Plus, Holly really wasn't in the mood to hear Dinah bitch to Holly in the car about it, saying "how rude and inconsiderate it is to bring it up when Mom hasn't seen Sharon in a lot time". Holly wasn't gonna deal with it. She was already having a good day, so why ruin that?

 

 In the midst of Holly zoning out into her own world, Clare was brought up again.

 

"Clare isn't even sure if Oscar is his son!" Sharon chirped.

 

 Dinah gasped and went on about how irresponsible Oscar's mother was, going on about "if I was him" this and "I would do" that. Holly decided to throw away everything she told herself before and take the chance to ask about Oscar again.

 

 "Is that why he likes to get into so much trouble?" Holly asked.

 

 "Maybe!" Dinah chuckled. "Oscar is a very troubled kid. He went through a lot in his childhood, his dad's drinking problem and his mom leaving him."

 

 "Dinah! You shouldn't be telling her this!" Sharon said.

 

 "Clare wouldn't give a flying flip," Dinah said. "He was so careless about his own CHILD that he wouldn't lose sleep over what I'm telling her."

 

 Sharon sighed.

 

 "So what's going on with Oscar now?" Holly asked.

 

 "Well, now he's in Los Angeles getting involved in all sorts of crap," Dinah answered. "Now he's in some kind of  _gang,_ a mafia or something. Now his mom is back in his life and his dad disowned him --- it's all sorts of confusion and drama. There's a lot going on, it's a mess."

 

 "Poor kid, wonder where he is now," Sharon said.

 

 "I saw him at the Starbucks yesterday uptown," Holly said.

 

 "Great, maybe we could call his mom and give him a free haircut!" Sharon joked.

 

 Holly knew she was joking, but she sort of wished that she was being serious.

 

 "Careless Whisper" by George Michael began to play in the salon. Dinah and Sharon got up and began to dance like idiots, Holly sitting in her chair and staring back at herself.  _If only she wasn't joking,_ Holly thought as the saxophone in the song played.

 


	14. Chapter 14

It was midnight, and like most teenage girls, Holly was running around her room in her matching pink bra and underwear, listening to scandalous songs on her phone. In the midst of her running around, there was a knock on the door. Taking out her headphones, she threw on an over-sized white shirt and opened the door. Mrs. Larson, Holly's mom who is also known as Dinah, was leaning her hand against the wall as she stood by Holly's door.

 

 "Holly, thank you for being such a good girl at the salon," Dinah gave a fake smile.

 

 Holly smiled back, happy that even though her mom was a crazy liar, at least she was trying.

 

 "Thanks," Holly said, wanting her mom to leave since she had a feeling a fight would erupt.

 

 "Well, the reason I came here is because you were asking _a lot_ about that boy," Mrs. Larson said. "Is he your boyfriend?"

 

 "No, no. Why? Why are you asking me about this?"

 

 "I have his mother's number. I'm going to ask her about you. I didn't like it one bit when you were talking about her son."

 

 Holly felt herself blushing. She face was redder than blood as she rambled, trying to explain herself in nonsensical English. Holly's mother always misinterpreted things, and she seemed to enjoy being offended. This made Holly's life at home extremely difficult since her mom would freak out at the simplest of things.

 

 As Holly tried to explain, Mrs. Larson rudely mocked her daughter as she walked away. Holly arched her eyebrows and clenched her fist, restraining herself from hurting her mom. In the past, Holly had severe anger issues since Dinah had only been in the second half of Holly's young life. After Dinah was sent home from the hospital when she gave birth to Holly, she gave her daughter to her husband and left her family. Dinah decided her life of drugs and irresponsibility was more important than her husband, her son Eric who was only four-years-old at the time, and most of all newborn Holly. A new baby meant new responsibilities, and when Dinah held her small daughter in her arms for the first time, she didn't see a human; instead, Dinah saw a toy she could do whatever she wanted with. If she never saw her children again, it didn't mean anything. In her mind, they had no emotions. She could come in and out of their lives whenever she wanted, insensitive to how they felt about it. 

 

 This was what made her relationship with her daughter so complicated. She wasn't sure whether or not she loved her children. Mrs. Larson had an extreme amount of love and extreme amount of hatred for her son and daughter. Although her daughter was her favorite of the two, she showed hardly any mercy. It was undeniable that Mrs. Larson was a terrible parent. She was chaotic. Her mothering style solely depended on her mood. If she was in a good mood, which was very rare for her, she would be really friendly and do nice things for her children. One of these rare moments was when she treated Holly to a day at the hair salon. Of course Dinah wasn't nice the whole time, but she was a lot nicer than she usually was by a long shot. 

 

 Now that Eric was 19-years-old, he had had no contact whatsoever with his parents. He was very close with his sister Holly, as they always had been, so he made sure to only keep in contact with her. Their contact with each other was very secretive, as Eric didn't want their mother to find out or else she would try to be in his life again. Since Eric wanted no more of her nonsense, he made sure to be extremely careful when he talked to Holly, even going as far to tell Holly to change the contact name and delete any messages that revealed who he really was.

 

 So this was one of the many fights that Holly and her mother got into every single day. Ever since Dinah reentered her children's lives when Holly was 7, the children's lives were hell. Because of the fact that Dinah wasn't around, they weren't adjusted to her aggressive behavior. Really no one could adjust to her behavior, but it came as a huge shock to the children since they had never encountered it. Holly felt like this fight was a turning point for them, even though this was only one of their little fights. This was the moment where she truly realized she couldn't take it anymore. Of course she always knew she couldn't take it, but this was the moment where she knew there was no possible way she could live with herself if she stayed back.

 

 Enraged, having enough of dealing with her mother's constant verbal (and often times physical) abuse every single day. Holly had never told anyone since she didn't want anyone to label her as a problem child, but at this point she couldn't carry the burden anymore.

 

 As Mrs. Larson continued to go on about her outrage at her daughter (that was rather unreasonable), Holly ran after her and pushed her on the floor. Mrs. Larson fell over and screamed at the top of her lungs, "DON'T **PUSH** ME YOU STUPID CUNT!"  

 

 Wanting to smack the shit out of her mom, she instead resorted to something that ended up feeling a lot better. Holly jumped on top of her mother's back, getting back up with her feet still on her. She began jumping on her back, leaving Mrs. Larson to do nothing but scream. Soon enough, Mrs. Larson gained enough strength to stand up and knock her daughter over, sending a hard crash on the glass coffee table. Mrs. Larson's hands cupped her mouth as she realized that Holly was lying on the ground in the broken glass, crying as blood and pain escaped her pale skin. Unsure as to whether or not she should send her daughter to the hospital, Dinah picked up Holly and lied the body of an injured solider on the couch. Piercing pains felt all over her body, Holly whimpered and wailed, feeling more hopeless than ever before.

 

 There was an angry knock on the door, the sounds of multiple neighbors enraged as they waited outside the apartment. Mrs. Larson felt her heart race so fast that she put a chair in front of the door. She didn't know what else to do. Mrs. Larson wasn't the brightest, so she often had stupid ideas that were either unrealistic or didn't make sense at all, and most of the time it was both of those things.

 

 Stains of blood were on the couch beneath Holly's injured body. Holly felt the blood soak beneath her shirt, regretting ever answering the door. All she was thinking repeatedly was " _Please don't let me die. Please don't let me die."_

 

Soon enough, she finally opened her eyes and rested her hand on the back of her head, hearing the sounds of the angry neighbors demanding that Mrs. Larson open the door.  _They must have heard the glass,_ Holly thought.  _I really don't wanna be here. Please take me away._

 

She closed her eyes again and lurked in the darkness beneath her eyelids.

 

 ---

 

 Hayes got rudely awakened by the sound of loud sirens outside. Alarmed, he jumped up and looked out his window to see where it was coming from. He watched two police cars and ambulance darting down the road. His eyes soon became sleepy again, wondering what the situation was without truly thinking it was relevant. He sat on his bed, resting his hands on his chest as he stared at the TV in front of him. The whole room was dark, the sound of sirens slowly dissolving. His world was silent.

 

 He sat quietly for a few minutes, unable to sleep, just enjoying the peaceful silence. Suddenly, his phone began to ring. He soon remembered the sirens and felt his heart skip a beat. Once he saw that the contact was Holly, he almost forgot to breathe.

 

 "HELLO?!" He quickly answered. On the other end, there were chaotic sounds in the background he couldn't make out. This couldn't be good.

 

\---

 

 "I'm in trouble!" Holly cried into the phone. She had managed to crawl into her room and grab her phone from her chair, hoping to receive some guidance. She felt like Hayes could at least be a slight emotional aid. At this point, she didn't even feel bad for calling so late in the night. Holly felt so stuck and so helpless that moment that nothing else mattered.

 

 "WHAT'S WRONG?!" Hayes freaked out. Nothing could describe how afraid he was now.

 

 "My mom threw me on a coffee table and I'm getting weaker and weaker! The police are here and the neighbors are trying to get in! I do ---"

 

 ---

 

 The call was suddenly cut off. Hayes froze as he held the phone, hearing the dead air on the other end. Now he had no idea what was happening to his friend, and there was nothing he could do. He stiffly walked back to his bed and sat down, feeling himself shake with fear as he brooded about Holly. There was little he knew about the situation, and all the information he had was devastating.  _Coffee table, huh?!_ He thought.  _What kind of animal would do that?! WHO THE HELL WOULD DO THAT?!_

 

Hayes jumped up and began banging on the walls, enraged. He wept, not knowing how else to express himself. He wanted to contain himself so he didn't wake anyone else up, but at the same time there was no controlling him at that point. One of his good friends that he loved and cared for so dearly was in danger, and he had no idea what was going to happen to her. He was glad she called so he knew what was going on, but he wished it wasn't happening at all. 

 

 As Hayes was crying, walking around the cold dark room with his face covered by his hands, there was a knock on the door. Hayes wasn't ready to answer it, so he continued to cry as his thoughts escalated to worse and worse things. After a considerable amount of time, someone used a key to open the door, and Mirjeta peeped out the door. 

 

 "Please keep i-" She began, but once she saw him her face soon dissolved into a frown. She was silent for a moment, not knowing how to handle it. Getting the social queue that he wanted to be alone, she shut the door and stormed off back to her car and drove home. 

 

 Hayes was left in his sadness, feeling hopeless and alone.

 

 ---

 

 The rest of the night was a blur to Holly, just police sirens and Mrs. Larson receiving questioning that Holly didn't understand at the time. When Holly was put into the ambulance, she just pretended she was dead. At first, she was desperate to live, but now she didn't care enough to carry on. She was so done that she wouldn't mind dying. At this point, all the chaos that was happening at the house proved to be going way too far. 

 

 The last thing that Holly heard before going off into a deep sleep was something she really didn't want to hear.

 

 "She will be okay," an old familiar voice said.


	15. Chapter 15

Holly opened her eyes, mid-daylight shining in her crystal eyes. Her eyes were still stained with tears, feeling dry and sticky. She realized that her body was covered in dry blood, and there was an IV attached to her arm. The wounds were still hurting but not nearly as much as they did the night of the chaos. Admiring the quiet of the room, she sat in silence and stared at the TV in front of the bed. After a few minutes, the owner of the familiar voice she heard before falling into a deep sleep walked in the room. Embarrassed, wanting to cry again, she gasped out their name.

 

 "Oscar?!"

 

He gave a faked smile. He hated seeing her in so much pain, her eyes evidently still stinging from the tears.

 

 "What are you doing here?!" She lightly smiled.

 

 "I was walking to my hotel when I saw a bunch of police going to your house," Oscar answered. "I knew about your mom and I knew for a fact they'd be in your apartment. I just had a feeling that something wasn't right. I knew I had to come and support you."

 

 Holly froze. She was embarrassed, but also flattered that he wanted to help. It showed he still cared about her over the years.

 

 "But Oscar, I thought you were dead." Holly said.

 

 "I know, and I'm sorry," Oscar replied. "I know it's been two years since I've last seen you, and I had to leave. The whole reason why I came to Chicago was to come see you and apologize."

 

 "But why did you fake your death? Why did you have to leave me there missing you for all that time? I thought we were good enough friends that you would tell me these things."

 

 Oscar sighed. He had planned this conversation in his head multiple times in the shower and whenever he was alone, and he was trying to think of smarter things to say.

 

 "Holly, the reason why I left is something really big, and I can't let you know," Oscar said. "Unless you swear to God that you won't tell a single soul, I won't be telling you anything."

 

 "Please tell me, I swear to God I won't tell anyone!" Holly swore. "I have no one to tell, and even if I did I wouldn't even consider hinting at it."

 

 Oscar sighed. He knew he had to tell her; she was his first love, he didn't want to hurt her. Telling her would hurt her, and not telling her would only hurt her more.

 

 "Okay, so let me begin with the reason why I left," Oscar said. "It wasn't because of you at all. You know we were really good friends. We had a lot of great moments that I'll never forget."

 

 Holly blushed. She was beginning to worry that the flirtationship they had at the time was one-sided, even though she was 99% sure it wasn't.

 

 "Yeah, we were so close," Holly said. "So what happened that made you want to leave?"

 

 "Look, you knew very well I was having countless problems with the Bloods! I couldn't handle it anymore! If all of those problems with the Bloods suddenly disappeared and I could have stayed in Chicago worry-free, I would have. But the thing is, life doesn't work that way. The Bloods don't ever just go away. I wanted to start a new life, so I ran away, leaving you to think I was dead."

 

 "But if I wasn't the problem, why couldn't I know the truth? I understand why you left, but why make me believe you died?"

 

 "I wanted a new life! I wanted you to be in my new life, but you would have been so disappointed with my new lifestyle that you'd rather hear I got killed."

 

 "Oh, what could have been so terrible in your 'new life' that you had to hide it from me?!" Holly argued. "Oscar, I thought that we liked each other. Or was that just one-sided?"

 

 "We did like each other!" Oscar said. "You know that we did, there's not denying it. But my new life wasn't that much better than running from the Bloods."

 

 "Really? So you get involved in another gang while you're running from the bloods? Smart." Holly sassed.

 

 "NO! That's not what happened! I joined a mafia, okay."

 

 Holly's eyes widened.

 

 "A mafia?!" Holly repeated. "No, no, no. You're kidding."

 

 "No, I'm really not," Oscar said, pulling out his bandanna that had the Panthers' logo.

 

"No, no, you couldn't have joined a mafia!" Holly was at a loss for words.

 

 "Well, I formed it," Oscar added.

 

Holly's jaw dropped. Her jaw never dropped when she was shocked, so this proves how shocking of a revelation this was for her.

 

 "So you FORMED a mafia?!" Holly repeated.

 

 "Yeah," Oscar confirmed smoothly.

 

 "SO YOU RUN AWAY FROM A GANG AND FORM A MAFIA?! 'Oh, don't mind me, Bloods. I'm just gonna fake my death and form a mafia!'"

 

 "God, Holly! When you say it like that it's so much worse than it really is." 

 

 "Oscar, Cig, whoever you are, I'M JUST SAYING IT LIKE IT IS!" Holly was enraged. "I expected so much better from you, but I thought you were too busy being dead to actually live out that potential. The situation would be a lot better if you actually told me you were leaving Chicago."

 

 "Why do I have to tell you?! What makes you so entitled to know that I'm running away?!" Oscar argued.

 

 "What makes me 'entitled'? Bitch, it's not about that at all! It's because I'm your  _friend_ and you shouldn't be leaving me worried sick thinking your dead. Who wouldn't be upset if their friend ran away to form a mafia?! Not only that, but they don't even bother to say goodbye and randomly fake their death one night?!"

 

 "Don't you  _dare_ call me a bitch!" 

 

 Holly sighed.

 

 "I'm sorry, you aren't a bitch, I'm just upset that you think you can just appear out of nowhere after leaving me upset over your 'death'," She said, holding in tears.

 

 Oscar was trying to hold in tears himself, not wanting to appear weak. He was extremely regretful of what he did.

 

 "I felt like it was one-sided," Oscar said. "I thought you wouldn't care if I left. I really loved you. I know that we have both moved on and have had our own experiences without each other, but I want you to know that I still think about it. Whenever I thought about it in Los Angeles, it made me really upset. I had to stop myself from thinking about it because it would make me want to cry. So enough was enough and I was sick of living with the burden of knowing that what I did to you was fucked up. I can't excuse myself for this, and I don't expect you to accept my apology very soon. I just want you to know that I still really care about you, and I wanna be your friend again. You were an important part of my life, and you still are. You changed me for the better, and you taught me a lot about myself. I care about you a lot and I always will."

 

 There was a moment of silence after his heart-felt monologue. Holly was touched, and she regretted yelling at him. She began to feel bad that she thought such pessimistic things when he walked in, but now that she better understood where she was coming from, she couldn't help but be empathetic and forgive him. Holly began to have a warm feeling in her heart.

 

 "I forgive you," Holly grinned. "I can't live with myself if I don't. I couldn't imagine running from a street gang, that's scary shit. You owned up to what you did and that's all that matters to me. That was really big of you, and that's one of the reasons why still, to this day, you've made one of the biggest impacts out of anyone in my life. We may not love each other the same way we did in the past, but I'll always love you as a brother and a friend."

 

 Oscar teared up and beamed, running up to give his beautiful friend a big hug. He held her for a moment, admiring her soft touch after waiting so long. He loved hugging her back in the day, and he still loved it. It was still the same feeling of loving friendship. Holly smiled from ear to ear as she kissed him on the cheek, love radiating all over the room. The feelings of first love and nostalgia soon kicked in for the both of them. The love that they had in the past was now felt once more, and it was then that they realized that first love never truly goes away.

 

 Once their moment was over, Holly got checked out of the hospital by her uncle that would be taking care of her until her mother was out of jail. Mrs. Larson got arrested by the police without trial since she admitted to throwing Holly on the table and abusing her. Holly and Oscar exchanged numbers before Holly left the hospital. Once Holly and her uncle walked to the parking lot and got into the car, Oscar stood at the entrance to wave her goodbye. As the car passed by Oscar, Holly waved him a goodbye with teary eyes. Oscar waved back, his eyes still locked on the car as it drove into the road. It felt bittersweet to see her leave, but he knew that he did the right thing. Neither of them would have changed a thing about that day, and for Oscar, it all went much better than planned.


	16. Chapter 16

Hayes was sitting in the breakfast hall, staring at his phone after it died. He was still upset about what happened to Holly since he had no clue if she was okay. She hadn't answered her phone in two days and he was really starting to worry. Staring at the screen, feeling as if he was about to cry, he felt another presence sit across from him at his table.

 

 "What were you so upset about the night before?" The voice asked.

 

 Hayes looked up. It was Mirjeta. He wondered how she knew, and he was mostly wondering how she remembered him. To be frank, he kind of forgot about her.

 

 "Wait, how did you know?" Hayes asked.

 

 "Well, my boss called me to your room because there were strange muffled noises coming out of your room. So when I opened your door to see what you were doing, as I was ordered to do, I saw you bawling your eyes out. Are you okay?"

 

 Her English sounded better, but that wasn't what he cared about. He was a bit embarrassed, but he could tell she wasn't judging him.

 

 "Um, I'm sorry for being noisy," Hayes began with.

 

 "No, no, that's not the point. I just wanted to ask if you're doing okay."

 

 "Well, my friend Holly is in trouble. I don't know exactly what happened, so I can't stop thinking about it." 

 

 Mirjeta was silent for a moment, taking a moment to think about what he was saying.

 

 "Holly? Holly who?" Mirjeta asked. She knew that there were a lot of people in Chicago, but she always saw the same people.

 

 "Holly Larson," Hayes answered, holding back tears as her name brought back beautiful memories with her.

 

 "HOLLY LARSON?! She's fifteen, right?"

 

 "Yeah."

 

 "I KNOW HER! She used to come here all the time! I remember she came with her friend... I forget his name.... Cigarette?"

 

 Hayes laughed.

 

 "His name was Cigarette?" He asked.

 

 "Well his name was Oscar, but he went by --- OH YES! He went by Cig!" Mirjeta replied. "Very nice people. I always made sure to do their room service because they were so sweet!"

 

 Hayes began shaking. Was she talking about the Cig he knew?

 

 "Okay, so what did Cig look like. I think I know him." Hayes said.

 

 "Oh, he had black hair. Very beautiful brown eyes! Oh, he was very handsome. Fit physique and all. Beautiful man!"

 

 He could feel his heart skip a beat. Her description sounded a lot like Cig from The Pink Panthers. He remembered Nash saying something about a mafia being after him, and after all the beef Hayes had in the past with The Pink Panthers, he knew this couldn't be good.

 

 "I live near him in Los Angeles." Hayes said. "Do you know the last time you saw him? I haven't talked to him in a while."

 

 "Oh, I don't think I've seen him in two years!" Mirjeta said.

 

 Hayes couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. He was safe... At least he thought.

 

 ---

 

 Ever since leaving the hospital, Holly was living at her Uncle Jay's apartment. He had a modest apartment that only had a cream color scheme. Creme, white and black were the only colors in the whole apartment. It looked sleek but very modest at the same time, and it always smelled like vanilla. There was only one bedroom so Holly had to share a bed with Jay, but since the bed was king-sized she didn't really care. One thing she missed was getting alone time in her room, but since Uncle Jay wasn't in there all too much other than at night it wasn't that different. Her Uncle Jay wasn't actually related to her: he was the widowed husband of Mr. Larson's sister. Mr. Larson's sister Heidi was 57 at the time of her death, Jay being 27. Jay was a gigolo, so his love for her was very fake and was secretly a male gold digger. Even though she wasn't all that rich, Jay was so broke at the time with no hopes of getting a job that he decided to marry Heidi, someone he knew would be good financial support. She looked young for her age, but it was still creepy to see him walk around town with her as the age difference was still evident.

 

 Now that Uncle Jay was 30, or simply Jay as Holly liked to call him since he looked so young, he had finally gotten a job and could take care of himself. He was more than happy to take care of Holly since he admired her a lot, always sending her gifts on holidays and talking to her during family parties. Now his girlfriend was Mirjeta, the nice Albanian woman working at Heart O' Chicago. Holly didn't know this, but she knew Mirjeta very well. She used to always check in the motel and eventually became friends with Mirjeta. Holly was always very friendly to people in retail, as she was to everyone, but the workers no matter where she went always appreciated her good manners.

 

 Anyway, Holly was sitting on the bed watching an episode of Hetalia on her laptop. Yes, even though she was abused by her mother, her mother still gave her things. As said before, her style of mothering solely depended on her mood, which made the situation even more complicated. But now that she was no longer in that situation, she could now live in much less stressful conditions and not be on the brink of explosion every time she went into her house. It was weird to be in such a calm environment and  _live_ in it. It still felt like just a vacation, like she was visiting her grandmother's house or something. The whole idea of living somewhere else was still a brand new concept for her.

 

 In the middle of the episode, Jay walked in the room. He looked a lot like Chace Crawford, but he didn't look polished like celebrities always did. Jay wasn't homely, he was just an average guy. Holly thought about this as she took out her headphones and greeted him, studying his physique as he pulled his phone off the charger. For some reason she couldn't stop staring at his eyebrows. After a few minutes of silence, and Jay finally managed to remove his phone from the charger it got stuck in, Holly asked him a sarcastic question.

 

 "So Jay, now that I'm living with you, does that mean you're my dad?"

 

 Jay grinned, replying back in sarcasm, "I don't know, I guess I can be if you want me to be."

 

 Before he left the room with his phone in his hand, Holly asked, "Did you ever think about having kids with Aunt Heidi?"

 

 Jay stopped and waited a moment to answer her question. He respected Holly a lot, but he wasn't sure if he should answer honestly or not. Deciding he couldn't lie and get away with it, he decided to be blunt.

 

 "Never," Jay said once he turned around to look her in the eye. "I was in a bad place when I married her. Plus, I wouldn't want kids even if I _was_  in a good place. It would be too much work."

 

 "I hope I'm not too much work."

 

 Jay smiled.

 

 "No, you're not," Jay said. "That's because you're older. I'm talking about really little kids, like babies and infants. I can't stand them."

 

 "Same, I never got why women ever want to be pregnant," Holly replied. "Babies aren't even cute, they look half human half gremlin-demon thing. Plus, all they ever wanna do is cry and throw up and do gross things. The worst thing about it is that moms will forever bitch and moan about how much trouble their kids are, but then quickly end it with 'But it's all worth it!' Just to make themselves not seem miserable."

 

 "Yeah, and then once they get older they're still annoying, and once they're teenagers the parents complain about their 'angst'. There's no escaping!" 

 

 "Exactly! And that's why I never want kids."

 

 Jay chuckled. He set his phone down, saying, "That's smart, Holly."

 

 Holly turned off her laptop and rose out of her bed. She walked out of the room and grabbed a bottled water from the fridge, drinking it as she grabbed her phone from her pocket and called Hayes. Hayes was sitting in his room when the phone began ringing, and he was more than happy when he saw Holly's name on the screen. He picked it up in a haste and asked where she was.

 

 "I'm at my dad's house," Holly lied. "I'm living with him now and everything's much better. I just have a bunch of wounds from being thrown onto a glass table, but I'm fine. They did a bunch of work on me, and I don't remember exactly what happened, but then my friend Cig came to visit me. Isn't that sweet?"

 

 Hayes froze. _Shit, Cig is in Chicago!_ Hayes thought.  _What am I gonna do?! Am I gonna stay here or what?_

 

 "Cig, huh?" Hayes repeated his name. "Does he happen to be in the mafia?"

 

 Holly gulped.

 

 "Yeah, why?" She nervously answered.

 

 "Don't talk to him, he's a bad man," Hayes said before quickly hanging up.

 

 Holly stood there, hearing the dead air on the phone with a confused look on her face. Sipping a cup of coffee, Jay walked into the kitchen and asked her what was wrong. She still stood in silence, frozen with the same expression. Was Hayes okay? 


	17. Chapter 17

This wasn't a well-known fact about Holly, but she was obsessed with getting a job. Even though she was only 15 and she didn't have to worry about keeping up with paying bills and such, she wanted a job so she could get enough money to fly to somewhere big like New York or Los Angeles so she could become a boxer. Since she wasn't a big fan of the whole "go to college and be drowning in debt" lifestyle (even though she kind of wanted to go to college only for the experience), she tried to find ways to make a lot of money without a degree. One thing that she always found interest in was wrestling. A big fan of WWE, she was watching matches whenever she found time and often tried to reenact new moves she learned. She knew all the wrestlers' names by heart and she could even recite a wrestler alphabet without any stutters or pausing. Holly was such a big fan that she never realized that she was what many dubbed as a fan girl, and if that's what a fan girl was then that's what she wanted to be.  
  
 Yes, she had dreams of having a normal job, say a doctor or someone working in business, but wrestling was always what she resorted to when she thought about her future. Whenever she pictured the future, if it wasn't wrestling that was on her mind, she thought of herself buying boxing gloves, going home to her apartment where she would live alone and practice with her punching bag. Whether it was boxing, wrestling, or even tai kwon do, she knew that fighting in a ring was what she wanted to do for a living. She took multiple female wrestling and boxing classes, so she felt like she already had a good start.  
  
 ---  
  
 It was late at night and Jack Johnson was sitting in his room, browsing through the Internet aimlessly. He had been doing this for hours, and he was getting pretty hungry, so he ran downstairs to get something from the fridge. Right when he got downstairs, he heard a fight breaking out in the kitchen. It was the sound of his mom and dad, and his father John seemed especially furious. John was a law officer, and law officers were always depressed. Jack wasn't shocked to hear him angry at all. His parents rarely fought, but Jack always thought it was miserable to work in law enforcement.  
  
 Eavesdropping on the conversation, he hid in the living room behind the wall and listened in.   
  
 "John, you know that you shouldn't be going through Jack's phone!" Jack's mom Jennifer yelled. This was getting a lot more interesting.  
  
 "You know that we did it with Jeff and it ended up saving my life!" Jack's father shouted back. "Without reading those texts, that crazy bitch would have killed me and our sons would be fatherless!"  
  
 "That was ONE TIME, John! You know that Jeff doesn't talk to that girl anymore, so our lives are not in danger!"  
  
 "No, I saw text messages of Jack talking to her again! I can't have a psycho trying to kill me again!"  
  
 Jack's eyes widened as he tried to think about all the girls he was talking to. Who on Earth would try to kill their friend's dad? He was also embarrassed because he was thinking of all the bad things he said to his friends. No teenager wants their parents read their text messages that are filled with swearing, dirty jokes, and inappropriate topics that their parents assume their children don't know about. Was Jack going to get in trouble or would his parents just let it pass?  
  
 "How do you know it was her? Did it say her name?" Jennifer asked.  
  
 "YES, AS A MATTER OF FACT IT DID!" John defended. "I ALMOST JUMPED OUT OF MY SKIN WHEN I READ THE NAME 'HOLLY LARSON'!"  
  
 Jack's heart skipped a beat. He felt the name hit him hard. HOLLY LARSON?! That girl that was dating Hayes? Well, the girl he thought was dating Hayes. He couldn't believe what he was hearing! He had never heard about this!  
  
 Making sure to keep quiet so his parents didn't know he had been eavesdropping, he crept up the stairs to his room and quickly got on his phone. As the group chat with the ex- Magcon boys loaded, he was trying to think of ways to hint at it. Finally, he worked up the courage and said something.  
  
 "Hey guys, my parents read through my phone." He texted.  
  
 After a few minutes, Jack Gilinsky read it with a horrified expression. Jack G was back at home at a family party, hiding in the bathroom after one of his crazy younger family members was chasing after him.  
  
 "Dude, THAT SUCKS!" Jack G texted back.  
  
 "I know, and want to know something even crazier?!" Jack J felt his hands shake as his thumbs punched in the letters.  
  
 "OH NO, DID THEY SEE THE PICS I SENT?!"   
  
 "No, let's take this to our private chat......."  
  
 They went to their private chat, where Jack G repeated his question.  
  
 "DUDE, DID THEY SEE MY NUDES?!" Jack G sent.  
  
 "Wait, dude.... YOU SENT NUDES?!" Jack J was mortified.  
  
 "Well, to Holly... I was scared that I maybe accidentally sent them to the group chat, but you didn't need to know that..."  
  
 "But isn't Holly dating Hayes?"  
  
 "NO"  
  
 "WHAT"  
  
 "Dude, they had a thing, but I've been talking to Holly for the past few weeks and I think we've got something going on. I'm gonna try and convince her to come to Los Angeles so we can live together, but I'm not sure yet. So far we are just friends, but I sent her some nudes and she liked them. We've gotten really close, so I guess now it's more of a flirtationship."  
  
 "SHIT"  
  
 "WHAT DO YOU MEAN?" Jack G sent.  
  
 "DON'T TELL HAYES" Jack J stressed.  
  
 "Why not?!?!"  
  
 "DO. NOT. TELL. HAYES!"  
  
 "Fine, fine. I don't care if he gets pissed, he'll get even more mad if I don't tell him and the truth comes out later."  
  
 "True. But now I'm not ready to tell you what I heard after this talk about Holly."  
  
 "SHIT, IS IT DIRT ON HOLLY?!"   
  
 "...."  
  
 "TELL ME"  
  
 "I'M NOT READY!"  
  
 "PLEAAAASE!" Jack G begged. "I WON'T TELL HER OR ANYONE I SWEAR!"  
  
 "Okay."  
  
 Jack J didn't reply for a minute, trying to find the right words to say. He knew Jack G wouldn't believe him, but he went for it anyways.  
  
 "You're not gonna believe me when I tell you," Jack J began. "So you have to promise that no matter how crazy it sounds, you will believe me no matter what. You promise?"  
  
 "Dude, this is stupid," Jack G was so impatient with all this waiting, "Please just tell me."  
  
 "I know, I know. Okay... Holly tried killing my dad."  
  
 "Um... MAYBE IT WASN'T SO STUPID AFTER ALL!"  
  
 "You don't believe me?"  
  
 "Well, it sounds ridiculous. What's the full story?"  
  
 "So from what I heard, Holly was friends with my brother. And then she tried killing my dad."  
  
 "please please please ask your dad more about this. right now there's not enough information. I believe you, just whoaaa!"   
  
 "Okay... But he's really angry right now. I'll have to wait."  
  
 "Whatever man. Go for it."  
  
 ---  
  
 The next morning, Jack confronted his mom while his father was at work. He was thankful that she wasn't working that day or else he'd have to keep both himself and Jack G waiting for answers.  
  
 "Hey Mom," Jack J began. "So, I heard you fighting with dad last night about someone I was talking to. Holly Larson? Yeah, I heard something about her trying to kill Dad, and it really scared me."  
  
 "Yes," Jennifer sighed. "First of all, I'm sorry he was snooping. I didn't know he was doing this until I got home from work and I see him looking through the contacts on your phone. I don't know how he got it, but you must've been gone."  
  
 "It's fine, I just want to know more about this Holly Larson story."  
  
 "Yes, it's a crazy one, but I'll tell you... So while your brother was living in New Orleans, there was this girl that your brother Jeff became friends with. We later found out that she lied about her age and she was really 12 and not 16. She also claimed her name was Holly Rodrigues and we later found out her name was Holly Larson. So this story is already strange, but it gets even stranger. We didn't know that Jeff was going on this website called Omegle to meet people, and what he would do was get their Kik and continue talking to them through there. Kik is this chatting app that me and your father didn't know about until your father began looking through Jeff's phone. Anyway, he ended up finding this Holly girl and becoming good friends with her. Well, 'friends'. Holly talked a lot about visiting Los Angeles to kick off her wrestling career, and Jeff thought she was joking, but she wasn't. She ended up flying here because Jeff earned enough money to pay for her flight, and he wanted her to go there with him so they could visit us and she'd 'meet the parents'. He ended up lying to us saying that she was a friend that he met her at college. Obviously she looked very young, so we didn't believe that at all!  
  
 "So Jeff gets into this huge fight with his father, and that's when things get too far. The fight had nothing to do with Holly, John wasn't concerned with Holly at all. He thought she was a nice girl, but that was until he found the texts she was sending Jeff after the fight. When Jeff told her about the fight, she must've been out of her mind! She said, 'If you're that upset with him, I'll go to your house and kill him for you.'   
  
 "Apparently she was planning this whole --- something she called a 'mission' --- to kill your father. She was blunt with Jeff, she did not like John at all. I have no idea what her problem was, she just didn't like him. She felt threatened by him, which is something that's beyond me. I think that she had problems with him in the past since she had a friend that was a drug dealer and John wasn't merciful with them... Yeah, she gets into a lot of chaos as you can tell. But that whole drug dealer business is something to ask your father, I don't know about that.  
  
 Jeff was totally against the idea. He thought she was going crazy. Finally she put it to rest, apologizing and telling him she didn't know what she was talking about. So a few nights later, she knocks on the door when only John is home. When he answers it, he allows Holly to walk in even though Jeff isn't home."  
  
 "Quick question, why was all of this hidden from me?" Jack asked.  
  
 "Oh, this took place when you weren't around." Jennifer said. "This was three years ago, you weren't even home. You were off at college, and now that you're visiting I can tell you all of this."  
  
 "Okay, please keep going."  
  
 "So John treats Holly and lets her sit and talk to him in the living room. They're having a nice chat for a while, when suddenly she brings up her friend's drug dealing fiasco. Your father wasn't expecting this at all... As a matter of fact, he hadn't even recognized her! He tells her that bringing it up isn't necessary and he was just doing his job, when she PULLS OUT A GUN and attempts shooting him before he gets out his gun and shoots her in the shoulder. Realizing what he had done, he knew he couldn't tell the police since they would arrest him for trying to kill a child, and wouldn't that be ironic?!   
  
 "Anyway, she runs out the house like a wounded bird, and ever since then we haven't seen her ever again. That was the time when Ms. Holly Larson was about to murder a law officer, Mr. John Johnson. Isn't that crazy?!"   
  
 "Wow, that's a lot to take in," Jack responded, unable to believe what he just heard. She didn't seem the type to do that at all: she was so sweet and charming that such a story would be out of character. "Well, thanks for telling me."  
  
 "Of course, and  _please_ don't tell anyone!"  
  
 "I promise I won't, Mom."  
  
 ---  
  
 Jack called Jack G and told him the whole story as he sat outside a doughnut shop, eating his glazed chocolate doughnut as he heard Jack G's reaction.  
  
 "NO WAY, DUDE, SHE'S A PSYCHOPATH!" Jack G exclaimed. "I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS, SHE IS THE SWEETEST, MOST GENUINE GIRL AND SHE TRIED TO KILL YOUR DAD?! THAT IS --- THAT IS --- WOW, THAT'S CRAZY, MAN! I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO SAY, THAT'S INSANE STUFF!"   
  
 "I KNOW, RIGHT?! DUDE, I'M ASKING HER ABOUT IT BECAUSE THAT'S INSANE! I REALLY HOPE SHE'S CHANGED!"  
  
 "YOU'RE REALLY GONNA 'HOPE SHE'S CHANGED'?! DUDE, I'M NEVER TALKING TO HER EVER AGAIN! SHE'S CRAZY! I'M GONNA STOP FUCKING WITH HER BEFORE SHE SHOWS HER TRUE COLORS AND TRIES TO GO KILL ME! WE GOTTA TELL HAYES!"  
  
 "WHAT?! NO, WE CAN'T TELL HAYES! WE CAN'T RAT HER OUT LIKE THAT! YOU ALREADY CHEATED HIM, YOU DON'T WANNA TELL HIM THIS!"   
  
 "I DID NOT CHEAT A FRIEND, JACK!" Jack G yelled. "I'M ONLY HELPING HIM BY TELLING HIM HIS GIRLFRIEND IS A MANIAC!"   
  
 "SEE, YOU JUST ADMITTED IT! YOU SAID 'GIRLFRIEND'!" Jack J pointed out.  
  
 All the passerby-ers could hear Jack yelling on the phone, the doughnut shop's outside tables that he was sitting at being right across a park. Jack had forgotten that he was in a public place, so he was very oblivious to some of the stares he was getting. There were a few punk teenagers sitting at another table across from Jack's, eavesdropping the conversation and laughing hysterically.   
  
 "BUT THAT DOESN'T MATTER!" Jack J said shortly afterwords. "MAYBE SHE ISN'T DOING THOSE THINGS ANYMORE. SHE HAS MENTIONED NOTHING ABOUT KILLING PEOPLE OR ANY PSYCHO STUFF AND ITS BEEN TWO MONTHS!"  
  
 "YEAH, TWO MONTHS OF WHAT?!" Jack G yelled. "NOT ENOUGH CAN HAPPEN IN TWO MONTHS TO IDENTIFY A SOCIOPATH! YOU'RE STUPID, MAN!"  
  
 "THIS POOR GIRL, YOU CAN'T JUST JUDGE HER FOR THAT! IT HAS BEEN THREE YEARS, ALL TWELVE YEAR OLDS ARE CRAZY!"  
  
 "NEVER THAT CRAZY! Whatever man, I'm done. I'm not gonna fight about this. You do you."  
  
 And with that, Jack G hung up.  
  
 Jack J slammed the phone on the table, finishing his doughnut. He soon realized the punk teenagers were laughing at him, and he was too pissed to deal with them, so he just said told them to shut the fuck up and continued eating his doughnut in anger.


	18. Chapter 18

Over the past few days, Hayes had convinced Holly to go back to Los Angeles with him. Holly told her Uncle Jay that she was going there to kick off her wrestling career, and Jay was more than delighted and supportive when he heard the news. Although her true plans weren't really about the start of her career, she knew that she would eventually do it during her stay. The main focus of the trip would be to meet Hayes' friends and see where he lived, and she was so excited to finally leave Chicago for once.   
  
 Holly and Hayes waited in a line to walk onto the plane, both of them eating their own pack of Pocky sticks. Suddenly, Hayes' phone began to buzz and on the screen was Jack Gilinsky's name.  
  
 "Hello?" He answered.  
  
 "DUDE, THERE'S SOMETHING I GOTTA TELL YOU!" Jack exclaimed.  
  
 "What is it? You sound really-"  
  
 "IT'S ABOUT HOLLY! YOU'RE NOT GONNA BELIEVE-"  
  
 "Hey, I'm with her right now!" -- Holly arched an eyebrow in confusion -- "Can you tell both of us?"  
  
 "No, she'll go crazy if she hears this!"  
  
 "Why would she ---"  
  
 "Hayes, the line is moving!" Holly said. Much to her relief, it was now time to board the plane.  
  
 "--- Um, I gotta go, man," Hayes said to Jack. "Talk to you later. I'll text you once I get on, okay?"  
  
 Hayes hung up and boarded the plane with Holly.  
  
 Jack groaned, throwing the phone on his bed. Now his friend was boarding a plane with a girl he dubbed as a psychopath. Even though Holly had remarkably changed her ways since then, Jack just couldn't see through it. He was too in denial after hearing such shocking news that he only considered who she was in the past and not the present.  
  
 "I can't believe I actually thought I loved her after only a month of being her friend," Jack said to himself as he ran down the stairs of his mansion. He was very wealthy, most of it being from all the money he made off the music he made with Jack Johnson. Jack G ended up enjoying music more than Vine, so he decided to change career paths and it ended up benefiting him greatly. This was also what Cameron Dallas did and he was making pretty good money.  
  
 Anyway, Jack began to think more about what he was going to say to Hayes. Soon enough, he was beginning to regret throwing away his friendship with Holly; he could relate to her really well and she was such a sweet girl. He felt lucky that he didn't actually have the chance to tell Hayes what happened, as now he was realizing that he was being a douchebag. Besides, he was starting to think that it was really cool that she tried to kill Jack J's dad. It intrigued him in the worst ways, and he wanted to ward off these feelings since they sounded so fucked up. Then he realized, hey, if no one can hear, no one will care! He let his feelings roam free and turn in the most twisted directions. No one heard, so no one would know! Everyone wins!  
  
 ---  
  
 Holly and Hayes were sitting on the plane together. The plane had taken off a few hours before, and Holly was reading her book to pass time as Hayes listened to music. Once Holly reached a new chapter of her book Catcher in the Rye, she began thinking about the phone conversation between Hayes and Jack. She was concerned about what Jack was saying about her, and since she had no idea what he said about her it made her even more worried. All of these concerns swarmed her mind and began to make her upset, so she decided it was time to tell Hayes. She tapped him on the shoulder when he ripped out his earbuds.  
  
 "Hi, uh, sorry," Holly began. "Is it okay if you tell me what Jack said about me? Sorry, I heard him mention my name and it made me worried, ya know..."  
  
 "It's fine, don't be sorry," Hayes said, "He didn't say anything about you that you didn't hear. He said you'd go crazy if he heard what you said. He sounded pretty excited to say it, so I'm thinking he has a surprise for you."  
  
 Holly wasn't stupid, so now she was pondering whether Jack's version of "crazy" was good or bad. It sounded like he meant Holly would go insane, but it also sounded like she would get really excited. Maybe he had good news for her, or maybe he was insulting her? Holly couldn't tell, so she decided to keep on reading and ask him once they got to Los Angeles. Besides, she was enjoying the plane ride so far, so she didn't have to wait long. Soon enough, she'd be at Hayes' house and have the chance to talk to Jack. But more importantly, she'd have the greatest vacation with her best friend Hayes, and that was all she significantly cared about.  
  
 ---  
  
 Once Holly and Hayes left the airplane, their luggage in their arms as they hopped in Hayes' car, the 1996 Mercedes S600 that Hayes chatted up about for the whole ride to his house. Holly loved cars, but not nearly as much as Hayes. Hayes talked about his car as if he worshiped it. Last time she checked his Mercedes S600 had never been crucified to show its love for humankind.   
  
 As Hayes pulled up into his apartment complex, he told Holly about his plans to buy a mansion in the future once he got enough money. She laughed and said that a person working at an office would never make that much money, so he simply responded with the "I'm a good worker" excuse since he forgot about his lie. He always forgot that he never told her he was a gangster, so he decided to keep it that way just so he didn't scare her away. As they walked into the house, they started talking more about Hayes' job. This scared Hayes since he had to come up with good lies really fast.  
  
 "So is it really as fun as you say it is to work in a cubicle?" Holly asked once she took a seat in his living room. He had a gorgeous apartment, so gorgeous that Holly was almost afraid to sit on the sofa.  
  
 "Yes, it is," Hayes insured her, taking a seat on the sofa across from her. "Like I told you a while ago, we learn to make it work. The people are the ones who make it fun."  
  
 Holly laughed.  
  
 "Please, be honest with me, you're a really bad liar." She said.  
  
 He gulped. He felt his heart beat.  
  
 "I'm not lying," He protested.  
  
 "Stop that, don't even try. It's all good, just tell the truth."  
  
 She was smiling and didn't seem mad at him, so he knew he was safe. He took a deep breath.  
  
 "Okay, it's boring," He answered.  
  
 "You're still lying! I see the smile on your face!"   
  
 Hayes hadn't realized he was smiling, so he tried to hide it with his embarrassment. He realized that what he was doing wasn't working, so he just dropped it and tried to discourage the subject.   
  
 "Okay, I lied about working in a cubicle," Hayes began, "But that's be-"  
  
 "Why did you lie about that?!" Holly giggled. "That's so dumb! I-"  
  
 "You wouldn't believe me if you told you my real job! You would hate me so much that you'd-"  
  
 "Hayes, last week my first love told me that he was in the mafia. You can tell me anything."  
  
 Hayes' smile dropped. His face fell to the floor once he heard this, remembering what Mirjeta said about Holly and Cig.  
  
 "Wait a minute..." Hayes said, trying to hide his worry. "Are you talking about.... Cig?"  
  
 "Yeah, he was in Chicago last week and visited me while I was in the hospital! How do you know him?"  
  
 Hayes was silent, his face expressionless.   
  
 Holly stared back at his blank face, pondering what he could possibly be thinking, even though she knew for a fact it wasn't good.  
  
 "Hayes, what's wrong?" She asked. "Are you in the mafia?"  
  
 Hayes let out a loud sigh.  
  
 "YOU ARE, AREN'T YOU?!" Holly shouted. She was laughing hysterically, saying, "HOW DO I ATTRACT SO MANY MAFIA BOYS?! OH, THIS IS RICH!"  
  
 He interrupted her laughter, grabbing her arm and speaking closely to her ear.  
  
 "He's in my rival mafia!" He spoke.  
  
 The way he was acting turned her on, especially since he was apart of the mafia and worked with her first love. She was devouring every minute of this. It was all so romantic to her, it was just like a dramatic vintage movie. She felt like it made her life look like a work of art. It was so twisted that she was deeply in love with it, not realizing the harsh reality of it all.  
  
 "He doesn't know that you were in Chicago with me," Holly said. "Does he care?"  
  
 "Yes, he does care," Hayes held her face and looked her in the eyes. "He wants to kill me... At least I know some mafia does. I can't trust any mafia now, and from the evidence I have it's pretty obvious it's his mafia that running after me. First they attack my family, and now they're gonna attack me. I'm in a lot of trouble, so you gotta make sure that he stays in Chicago and never comes back. He has to die."  
  
 Holly jumped back, her head out of the clouds. This wasn't as romantic as she thought.  
  
 "YOU CAN'T KILL HIM!" She protested. "THAT'S MY FRIEND! YOU CAN'T HURT HIM!"  
  
 "WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE ME DEAD?!" He shouted back.  
  
 "YOU ARE BEING SO DRAMATIC! YOU DON'T HAVE TO KILL A MAN IN ORDER TO KEEP YOURSELF SAFE!"  
  
 "I HAVE TO BE DRAMATIC! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! HE'S NOT A GOOD GUY AND HE'S GONNA KILL ME IF I DON'T DO ANYTHING!"  
  
 "HAYES, PLEASE-"  
  
 Hayes pulled her by the waist and kissed her. He hated seeing her angry.  
  
 "I'm sorry!" He said.  
  
 "Please don't kill him!" She hissed.  
  
 "Don't worry, babe. I won't kill him," He lied.  
  
 "Really?"  
  
 "Yes, I'll just think of something else."  
  
 The more Holly thought about the situation, the less she believed it.   
  
 "I'm not dumb," She said. "I don't believe you, or any of this. You can't be in the mafia. How gullible do you think I am?"     
  
 "Holly, I knew you wouldn't believe me. That's why I lied to you in the first place."  
  
 She silent for a moment, and then she sighed.  
  
 "Listen," She began. "I understand why you lied. You did it to protect yourself, it's all totally respectable and legitimate. I realize that it's hard to believe, so I'm going to try to believe you. You're my best friend and I can't doubt you. I trusted Oscar, so I have to trust you too."  
  
 Holly wrapped her arms around him and gingerly kissed his lips. They locked eyes as he embraced her, his hand cupping her cheek. He smiled as their noses were pressed against each other.  
  
 "Thanks Holly," he said. "Is that Cig's real name?"  
  
 "Yeah," she replied. "I always knew him as Oscar Anders. He's a good man if you really get to know him. He wasn't always an evil mafia guy."  
  
 "I love you, but you really don't know the person he is now. I hope you never have to know the person he is now."  
  
 They settled their luggage into Hayes' bedroom. They took off their clothes and started cuddling on his bed. His bedroom looked like it had popped out of IKEA catalog, and Holly was so amazed by how luxurious all of the rooms were. Whatever Hayes was doing in the mafia, he must have been spectacular at it.  
  
 As the two friends cuddled on the bed, Hayes realized that he didn't want to be friends with benefits anymore. All he wanted now was a relationship.


	19. Chapter 19

Jack and Jack were playing catch in the front yard of their giant Calabasas mansion. They were so used to their luxurious lifestyle that they never truly acknowledged how glamorous the mansion was, but this also made them humble enough to never brag about their wealth.  
  
 In the midst of playing their game, Hayes' car pulled up in the driveway. The Jacks dropped the ball and bolted to the car. Holly waved to the boys from the backseat of the car, wearing a sleek white crop top with Luna from Sailor Moon on it. Hayes gave her tons of money since he had a lot he wasn't spending, so Holly went on a shopping spree by herself and bought an endless amount of cute clothes. Even though she knew it was wrong, she liked to think of Hayes as her sugar daddy. She cared very deeply for him, so calling him a sugar daddy would evidently make it sound like she didn't really love him, but she did. She never told anyone she thought of him as a sugar daddy, but she thought it made her life seem more romantic.   
  
 Anyway, she opened the door and walked out of the car, trying to show off her new high waisted shorts. In the past, she rarely ever wore crop tops since it exposed her stomach and made her feel insecure, but Hayes and the boys made her feel more confident. Although they were a great help, she mostly convinced herself to be more confident. It was her that was the true help to make herself feel better.   
  
 The Jacks both got into a group hug with Holly, Hayes leaving the car with a snicker once he got a look at the scene. Once the hug broke off and they all saw Hayes' reaction, the trio playfully snickered back.  
  
 "You hate any form of affection!" Jack J playfully teased. "You're the most touch-phobic person I've ever met!"  
  
 "I'm not against hugging," Hayes said, "I just don't like doing it that much. I feel like it's being too touchy."  
  
 "PFFT!" Holly laughed. "Sure, 'it's just being too touchy'."  
  
 "He's probably scared of our germs," Jack G joked.  
  
 "He's scared it will de-masculinize him!" Jack J added.  
  
 Hayes chuckled and shook his head. The friends walked into the mansion, an awestruck Holly letting her eyes run wild at all the beautiful sights. She was amazed at the beauty of the house, having her mostly wonder why people wanted all of this. While she wanted a home like this, she also hated when people had houses like this since there were so many homeless people and people that could barely afford the modest lives they lived. Since she was 99% sure she would someday end up homeless on the streets, she felt mocked by the fact that there were people with 10 bedroom mansions that lived by themselves.  
  
 "This house is beautiful!" Holly whispered to herself.  
  
 "Well, you get used to it," Hayes replied.  
  
 They continued walking around the house as the Jacks gave them a short tour. The Jacks were still very humble as they gave a tour of the house, not at all mentioning their success or wealth. They simply made it sound like they were giving a tour of a small house, and while it would seem charming to most, Holly kind of hated it. This wasn't a small house, it was a Calabasas mansion. Keep it real.  
  
 Once they reached the Jacks bedrooms, Holly sarcastically asked if this was where all the "Jack and Jack orgies" happened. The Jacks laughed, thinking about how many times the Jacks had gotten laid in that room. Oh no, not with women, but with  _each other_. Little did anyone know that while both boys were bisexual, they were primarily attracted to men. It was more than surprising that Jack had began to slowly have a crush on Holly. The two had a friends-with-benefits kind of relationships ever since the start of Magcon, but it had never escalated to more than that since they didn't want it to affect their friendship. It was also because they knew that all the girls that were in love with Jack and Jack would be pretty disappointed to find out their crushes were in love with each other.  
  
 "I doubt they're having orgies," Hayes joked. "I bet they're having sex with each other!"  
  
 Jack and Jack laughed once more, trying hard not to sound nervous. Jack G got extremely nervous when Jack J allowed Holly and Hayes to dig through the room, praying to God that no one found his stash of condoms and dildos. Holly explored the walk-in closet and found the stash, but she quickly put it away since she didn't want them to find out about her discovery. Nervously looking around to make sure no one saw, she noticed a huge collection of French perfume. She stuffed one in the pocket of her shorts, knowing the pocket was too deep for anyone to notice.   
  
 "Hey Jacks, who does all this perfume belong to?" She asked casually as if nothing happened.  
  
 "Oh, that's my girlfriend's," Jack J lied, walking into the closet with her. The perfume was really a stash he kept just to make himself not feel lonely. Jack G and Hayes were too busy chatting up on the bed, so Jack G was too busy to catch his lie.  
  
 "You have a girlfriend?" She beamed. "What's her name?"  
  
 "Oh, her name's Summer," he made up on the spot.  
  
 "Summer? That's so cute! Can I see a picture of her?"  
  
 "Uh, sure."  
  
 He flipped through his phone to find a picture of him with a girl Holly wouldn't know about, so she chose a picture of himself with his cousin that he took a few months prior. He showed Holly and she smiled.  
  
 "She's so pretty," Holly said.  
  
 "She is, she's beautiful," He smiled, trying to hide the disgust he felt with himself that he showed a picture of his cousin.  
  
 As Jack G and Hayes were talking, Jack J and Holly walked back in the bedroom. Holly was thinking about Jack G, wondering if he had a crush on her at all. She was slowly beginning to develop a crush on him, but she doubted he felt the same way. Besides, she was in love with Hayes. Even though dating Jack G wouldn't be considered cheating, it felt like it would be. She was trying not to confess to herself that she only loved Hayes in a friendly way, so thinking about Jack G would only hinder that. Plus, she only wanted Jack G for his good looks. She also knew that he had a girlfriend, Madison Beer. They had been dating for many years, so she assumed they would get married. Holly wasn't interested in being a homewrecker, even though she didn't want to admit that it sounded fun. Even if Jack G and Madison didn't get married, it was still wrong. Part of Holly liked the concept of being "the other woman", but she didn't like the idea of degrading herself and not being genuinely loved by him. However, since she didn't genuinely love him, it didn't make that much of a difference.   
  
 The friends walked out of the bedroom and chilled in the living room. The living room looked a lot like Kylie Jenner's, and the Jacks didn't want to admit that they copied it, let alone even hint at being inspired by her. Jack G and Holly sat together, and Holly felt herself blush once she looked in his eyes. Looking him in the face was embarrassing for her since she knew she was thinking about him, and what she was thinking wasn't right at all. She had the most fucked up thoughts about him, and since she felt like he could read her thoughts, she felt like he was insulted by her. Holly was always paranoid about these things once she had to actually look the person in the face, realizing that they were just as human as her.  
  
 "Holly, did you enjoy 'the tour'?" Jack G joked.  
  
 "Yes, I did," She grinned. "Your house is so big, you and Jack must always be in it! I know if I lived here I'd never leave the house!"  
  
 "Well, I guess you could say that. I'm always working so I don't really get to enjoy it. But once I do, I like to just relax."  
  
 "Really? Do you like living that way? You know, working all the time? It seems like you have a fun job, but..."  
  
 "Uh, I love it, but I also hate it. I love what I do, but anyone will get sick of the daily grind every single day, no matter what job it is. Hell, even if I was paid to eat pizza all day I'd probably get sick of it."  
  
 "Physically and mentally."  
  
 "Pfft, yeah. But seriously, I love what I do, and I wouldn't want any other one. Even if I could never have another day of work for the rest of my life, I'd still wanna do what I do. I love singing, and most of all I love touring. I think it's performing that really makes it as great as it is. As cheesy and cliche as it sounds, it really is a beautiful thing. Finally people can see me for who I am and not through a screen or on some gossip column. They can actually see me: a human, a real person."  
  
 Holly nodded. She enjoyed his little bit of philosophy that he had to share with her, but it also left a bad taste in her mouth since she knew she'd never find a job that made her feel that way. While her plans to become a wrestler was still going strong, she was 100% aware that there was always a big chance that it wouldn't work out. If it didn't work out, she wouldn't know what else to do. Holly was very much an optimist, but when it came to her future, all she saw was darkness. She had little to no hope for the future, and for no legitimate reason she could think of.  
  
 "That's great," Holly said, masking her fear for the future. She felt it was selfish that she only thought of herself when Jack G preached about life, but she also knew that it was all just getting to her.  
  
 "You sound... Weird," Jack G said. "You don't sound happy."  
  
 "No, I'm happy. It's just that hearing about the future makes me realize that my future isn't too far away, and it makes me worried. I don't have high hopes at all, and I don't think I'm gonna do well in any way."  
  
 "What 'ways' are there?"  
  
 "Oh, just my life in general. Me, my job, my house -- if I even get one --, even things that shouldn't matter like my love life -- which won't exist -- and where I am -- if I'm anywhere. I don't wanna sound over-dramatic or whiny or anything, but I can't help but think about that. I know it's selfish to think that while you're talking about  _your career_ and  _your life_ and  _your_ everything, but I'm a selfish person. It all sounds different when it's coming out than when I'm thinking it, so sorry that I sound whiny and dramatic."  
  
 Jack tried to smile, but he felt his face fall to the floor. He hated to see her this way. He thought that she was optimistic and happy all the time for every single moment of her life, and while she was happy for the most part, she had a lot of messed up thoughts. It was sad to see that she had no hope for the future, and he could definitely relate. Jack G couldn't help but wonder why she was concerned about dying alone. He was never worried about this, and he always assumed that there was a person for everyone, so he never even considered that a person could die alone.  
  
 "It's fine," Jack G replied after taking in what she said. "I get what you mean. You're young, like --- I don't wanna talk down on you like you're some child, but you are. Your time will come when everything turns out right, and you won't have to worry anymore. All those things you said, you  _are_ going to have. You don't have to be rich and famous and whatever, but you'll have what you need and you'll be happy. I see why you're concerned, but you really don't need to be."  
  
 Holly nodded, taking in his words but not truly believing it.  
  
 "And what's up with the whole 'dying alone' thing?" Jack G added. "Why would you be worried about that? I know those things don't significantly matter nearly as much as all the other things like a job and a house, but it still feels like it does. There is a person for everybody, and as cliche and regurgitated as it may seem, it's true. No one on this Earth dies alone, let alone a virgin. Besides, you don't need love to be happy! Before Madison, I was single and I didn't need anyone! I had  _myself."_  
  
 "Listen, I know that," Holly replied. "I'm perfectly happy without anyone, but it's sad knowing that the rest of the world is going to be in love and I'll never be. The rest of the world will get to experience something that I never will, and that makes me get upset. It sounds great to be in a relationship, to be kissed, to simply know that you have a significant other. Even the taboo things like having sex and stuff... I'll  _never_ get to have that. I'm not insecure, it's not as if I think I'm an ugly freak or anything. It's just that the whole boyfriend thing will pass and I'll never find anyone. Nothing will happen, and I'll always be by myself, never knowing what it's like. I know it sounds like first world problems, all that, but it's a big deal to me. It's just sad is all."  
  
 Jack G frowned. He was sad that she felt this way, and it made him think about how he wanted to be the man to change her mind. This was the moment where he realized that he really did have feelings for her, even if it had only been a month. He cared a lot about her and wanted to be in her life.  
  
 As Jack J and Hayes chatted in the kitchen, doing boyish things like playing with knifes like swords and playing dumb games, Jack G and Holly took their heavy conversation to the bedroom. They sat together on the bed as they talked, mostly about how Holly thought she was gonna die alone since that was the problem that baffled Jack G the most.  
  
 "So you don't even think you're ever gonna be asked out, kissed, or even  _have sex_?" Jack G asked.  
  
 "Yeah," Holly confirmed. "I think it's all just gonna pass by me. I'll never even be asked out, or have anyone ever think about asking me out. And having sex? Forget it. I'm not one of those girls that would wait until marriage for sex. I don't like to admit it, but I'm pretty desperate. It sounds very pessimistic, but I think that if I were to ever lose my virginity, I'm 99.9% sure it would be because I was raped."  
  
 Jack's eyes widened at the word "rape". Rape. That was such an evil, godawful thing that he couldn't imagine why she'd think these things. She seemed like she had come to terms with what she deemed as fate that it scared him.   
  
 "You think you're gonna get raped?" Jack asked.  
  
 "There's a very ugly possibility that I will be," Holly replied. "Of course you never know if it could happen, but I feel like it's bound to happen to me."  
  
 He was silent. This was too fucked up to even come from over-dramatic statements from an overemotional teenager, something that Holly wasn't. Jack could see through her and knew that something sparked this.  
  
 "These are such big things to say," Jack said. "To say that you're gonna be homeless, you're gonna be alone, you're never gonna be loved and you're gonna get  _raped._ Those are all such negative, terrible things that should never be in someone's destiny. You're gonna have a career, you're gonna have a house, you're gonna have enough money to take care of yourself, you're going to have a relationship, but most of all you will be  _happy._ That's all I see in your future, is light. You're not gonna have any of those ugly things in your life. Of course your life won't start off amazing right off the bat, but it will all work out."  
  
 Holly felt her face harden. The more she thought about her confessions, the more she regretted saying them. There was a lot more she wanted to say, but she didn't want to sound melodramatic or whiny.  
  
 "I'm still struck by the whole rape thing," Jack added. "To not only think that you're gonna get raped, but to think that if you were to ever 'be so lucky' to lose your virginity, it would be to a rapist. Losing your virginity is supposed to be a great thing, something with a person you care about. Of course it isn't all that 'making love' bullshit, but it is supposed to be fun and not scary. Not something depressing that will ruin your life. That's fucked up."  
  
 "I'm sorry," Holly said. "I'm embarrassed that I told you. I've never told anyone this, so I'm ---"  
  
 "Holly, don't apologize. I like this. I like that we can talk about this."  
  
 Holly nodded and felt her eyes begin to water. She quickly wiped her eyes to avoid making the situation seem more dramatic, not wanting to cause a scene. When she finished wiping her eyes, Jack held her wrist and rested her hand on his face. Holly blushed and widened her eyes, feeling Jack pull himself closer to her, resting his head on her shoulder. She rested her head on his shoulder as well, feeling the sadness slowly lift off her shoulders.  
  
 "What makes you think you're gonna get raped? Did something happen to you?" Jack G.  
  
 "No," Holly quickly lied, thinking about the sexual abuse she experienced when she was younger. It was only a couple times, but that was enough to scar her.  
  
 "You said that so quickly."  
  
 "Yeah, I know," She murmured.  
  
 Jack pulled himself back, looking her in the eyes. He was so handsome. Holly couldn't keep her eyes off his: his eyes were so beautiful, such a rich brown. The color was so beautiful she wanted to jump in them, like a deep pool of thick dark chocolate.  
  
 "Please tell me," Jack begged.  
  
 Holly never told anyone since it made her feel degraded. It made her feel like nothing. It made her seem like a victim, and she liked to view her life as being very happy and never being affected by ugly things like sexual abuse.  
  
 She was silent for a moment. Knowing she had to let it out, she just straight up said it.  
  
 "My dad once sexually abused me when I was 11," Holly said with a shaky voice. "It made me feel disgusting... It made me feel so unwanted and so belittled and so trashy that I never told anyone. He did it a few other times. He would just touch me, and he'd stare at my privates and.... I just felt so gross. He's out of my life now, he's in jail for a number of things, and it ruined everything when it comes to how I view relationships."  
  
 Jack couldn't help but gasp. He was shocked to hear this, and it hurt to know that it happened to  _her_.  
  
 "Just so you know, I'm here for you," Jack said. "I always will.  _We_ are here for you. All the guys are here for you, and we will support you no matter what. Your father is an evil man to do that to you, and it doesn't make you disgusting or unworthy. You are so loved and you are wanted and you are so worthy. Your worth isn't determined by how other people treat you, it's determined by your heart and your soul and all the things that make you Holly. Don't let people like him hurt you. If you do, you let them win. Don't let them win, Holly."  
  
 She smiled. She was glad that she came clean after holding it in for the longest time. Jack kissed her on the forehead and grinned back. Seeing her happy made him happy, and he was glad that he had the chance to make her feel at least a little better about something that attacked her for years. He felt that now was the start for her to have faith in her future. All these thoughts of being homeless and depressed would take a lot of time to totally terminate, but it was worth all the time in the world. He had so much faith in her that he knew she'd make it right. Finally she felt understood, and most importantly, she felt a connection.


	20. Chapter 20

 That night, Nash stopped by the Jack and Jack mansion with Cameron. Hayes told them that he would be back in Los Angeles with Holly, and neither of them wanted to miss the chance to see Holly face to face. When Jack G opened the door for them, he greeted them as he always did: smiling and fist-bumping, all the things that boys naturally did when they saw their friends. He acted as if he hadn't just had a moment with Holly. Jack G liked to think that if no one found out about his romantic moment with Holly, then it wasn't cheating. It may have not seemed romantic to anyone else, but it felt romantic to Holly and Jack. Since Holly was pretty lonely most the time, crying herself to sleep whenever she got too deep in thought about it, she liked to perceive any moment with Jack G or Hayes as being romantic. She didn't mind two-timing them; as a matter of fact, she didn't think she was two-timing them at all. If Hayes found out he'd be really hurt, and Holly didn't consider that all too much. She didn't really think about how Madison would react either. If she found out her boyfriend cheated on her with Holly, a  _15_ -year-old girl from Chicago, she'd be really upset that she didn't know that there was another woman. Not even a woman,  _a teenager._ It would wreck Madison's self-esteem for the longest time, and the relationship would just end ugly. At least, this was all how Holly perceived it.  
  
 Ever since Jack and Madison had started dating, Madison had been cheating on Jack with Sam Wilkinson. What makes the situation even worse was that Sam was married. Oh no, not married to just any girl. Sam was married to Mirjeta from Heart O' Chicago. Yes, Mirjeta was cheating on Uncle Jay. It was a long chain of cheating that no one ever figured out. Not even Holly knew about this, never once hearing about Mirjeta's secret husband. It would be more than surprising to hear that alone, but to also discover that Jack cheated on Madison with Holly, Holly cheated on Jack with Hayes, Madison cheated on Jack with Sam, Sam cheated on Madison with Mirjeta, and Mirjeta cheated on Sam with Jay. In this long chain, only Hayes and Jay were left faithful.   
  
 The crazy thing about all of this is that this was the day Hayes planned on asking Holly to be his girlfriend. This was the day when she realized she  _technically_ cheated on Hayes and Jack. Hayes knew nothing about her little rendezvous with Jack, and if he ever found out he'd throw a fit. He was a no-nonsense kind of guy when it came to being faithful. Cheating was inexcusable, as it should be in every relationship. Jack knew 100% about what was going on with Holly and Hayes, but he didn't care. As long as it was kept secret, everything would be okay. However, Jack also wanted to wreck their relationship. He wanted to be with Holly, ditch Madison, and perhaps Madison could be with Hayes. Madison and Hayes despised each other, but Jack was very selfish about their relationships. They didn't matter all to much to him since they didn't affect his own.  
  
 Cameron and Nash greeted Holly in the kitchen and talked for a while. Since they all hated small talk, they cut straight to the chase. They always had memorable conversations, and this time was no different. In the midst of their laughing and talk about whatever was on their minds, Holly couldn't stop thinking about her moment with Jack. It had only happened an hour ago and it felt like years ago. She knew that she would remember that moment for the rest of her life. Holly wanted to relive that moment for the rest of her life, replaying it over and over again in her mind. Playing his sweet kiss on the forehead, his beautiful eyes she wanted to dive in, the tone of the room like the aftermath of a storm on a beach. Everything about that moment was simply perfect.  
  
  Holly watched Cam and Nash chat for a moment, not inspired to talk to them since she was too lost in her thoughts. They noticed her silence after finishing a good laugh together.  
  
 "Hey Holly, you've been pretty quiet for a while," Nash said to her.  
  
 "Yeah, I've just been thinking a lot," She said.  
  
 "What you been thinking about?" Cam playfully teased in a voice.  
  
 Nash punched Cam in the arm with a giant grin on his face and said, "Oh stop it, you!" Cam laughed and Holly smiled at their playing.  
  
 "So Holly, how's everything been?" Nash asked as he used Cam's arm to slap Cam in the face. Cam laughed and grabbed his arm and did the same.  
  
 "Oh, and I don't mean like the old 'How are you?' 'Oh, I'm good. HOW ARE YOU?!' I mean forreal," Nash added.  
  
 "I'm doing great, I'm not sad or anything, I just have nothing to say," Holly said.  
  
 "OOOOOH, WHAT'S HOLLY BEEN THINKING ABOUT?!" Cam repeated with a funny laugh.  
  
 "FAST CARS AND CUTE BOYS!" Holly sarcastically replied with a voice, flailing her arms.  
  
 The three all flailed their arms and made noises in the voice, running into each other and flapping their hands in each other's faces. It was all weird in childish, but it was a lot of fun. They didn't really care about acting mature when they were with each other; they just sat back, did whatever they wanted and just had fun being with each other.  
  
 After their minute of nonsense, they regrouped and went back to their previous mood.  
  
 "But really, what's up?" Cam asked. "You looked really happy and it made us happy!"  
  
 "Oh thank you!" Holly beamed. "I just had a nice moment with Jack and it made my day!"  
  
 "Which Jack?" Nash asked, sarcastically opening his eyes wide.  
  
 "Dude, why would you think she'd be talking to the ugly one?" Cam sarcastically replied quietly.  
  
 Once the other two caught his joke, they cupped their mouths with their hands and ran around going "OOOOOOH!" They all laughed hysterically at the cruel joke, shouting things like "TRUUUE!" and "LET'S BE REAL!"  
  
 Their laughing then broke into a rap battle between the three of them. Holly always had rap battles at her school so she loved them. Cam ended up throwing the hottest shade in their rap battle, and he was killing it when the Jacks and Hayes walked in. They were all taking by surprise when Cam finished his last sentence and the kitchen was filled with more "OOOOOOH"'s and hollering. Hayes and the Jacks laughed hysterically at the scene. Nash, Holly and Cam all guffawed even more when they realized their friends walked in on the rap battle. Once they all collected themselves after a hectic and hilarious few minutes, the Jacks and Hayes told the other three that they would drive to Chicken Shack and drop off dinner for everyone. They all said okay and off the Jacks and Hayes went. This was when Holly decided she'd tell her friends about what happened.  
  
 ---  
  
 Holly, Nash and Cam were all playing pool in Jack and Jack's basement. The whole basement was a giant gaming room that also included a small private lounge. As the friends played their game of pool that was getting very competitive (but in the most sarcastic and hilarious way possible), they began rambling aimlessly about things like philosophy, Holly's blue hair, furries, and even about Cameron's crazy dream that he went on a field trip to Alcatraz. Their conversation went in many directions, and her favorite part was when they got serious and started to talk about love on Alcatraz.  
  
 "I wonder if any of the inmates ever fell in love with each other while they were in Alcatraz," Nash remarked.  
  
 Cam and Holly chuckled at his silly remark, and Nash waved his hands in the air as he said, "No, no! It sounds funny but I'm being serious!"  
  
 Putting his hands down, he said, "But forreal, it was a time when being gay was practically forbidden. Maybe there were inmates that fell in love but they couldn't tell each other since they were locked up, and not only were inmates in love, but they were  _gay._ "  
  
 "Nothing's wrong with being gay, Nash," Cam said.  
  
 "I know that! I'm not saying there's anything wrong with being gay! I'm just saying that at the time it was really taboo, and if there were gay  _inmates_ then that would be a lot of trouble for them. If they ever did fall in love, I hope that it all worked out. You know, like they start a relationship once Alcatraz shut down."  
  
 "An Alcatraz romance!" Holly joked. She and Cam chuckled.  
  
 "Yeah, but you never know." Nash continued, "It would be really sad if there was a guy who had a crush on another guy, and it never worked out because they were imprisoned. Plus, if the guy he liked ever found out then it would be twice as bad since they were all homophobic and stuff."  
  
 "Yeah, true," Cam agreed. "I'd imagine you'd have to be pretty evil to go to a place like Alcatraz, so maybe that means they're all meant for each other."  
  
 "Evil guys falling in love? Do you mean Jack and Jack?" Holly joked.  
  
 "Oh my god, those guys are so gay for each other!" Nash beamed.  
  
 "Nash, you sound homophobic!" Cam said.  
  
 "I'm not, I'm not! You know what I mean!" Nash replied. "You can just  _tell_ that they have a thing going on! Holly knows what I mean, right?"  
  
 Holly was silent for a moment, letting her silence speak for itself. The boys all roared at this started jumping up and running around.  
  
 "WHATCHA TRYNA SAY HOLLY?!" Cam shouted as he jumped up and slammed his hand on the giant chandelier.  
  
 "Nothing," Holly said.   
  
 "DAS A LIEEE!" Nash snickered. "SILENCE IS LOUDER THAN WORDS!"  
  
 The boys recollected themselves and stood next to each other in Holly's face, blank expressions as they waited for an answer. She laughed at their expressions and finally fessed up.  
  
 "Okay, so I kind of have a thing for Jack G, I'm not gonna lie," Holly confessed.  
  
 Both boys turned to each other, their jaws dropping to the floor. They got up and started dancing around again, hollering and screaming as they jumped on the couches. Holly's eyes widened, nervously grinning at their reaction.  
  
 "What are you guys celebrating for?" Holly asked.  
  
 "We aren't 'celebrating'!" Nash said in a voice.  
  
 "Beebee, Hayes has been waiting to ask you to be his girlfriend!" Cam jumped next to her and wrapped his arm around her.  
  
 "He's WHAT?!" Holly gasped.  
  
 The boys were silent.  
  
 Holly's torso fell on her lap, her body dropping on the floor. She couldn't see this coming; even though it was obvious that Hayes wanted to be with her, she never expected someone to  _actually_ want to be her boyfriend. She couldn't imagine someone wanting any kind of remotely romantic relationship with her.  
  
 "Are you okay?" Nash chuckled as the two boys crowded around her.  
  
 "No." Holly simply stated.  
  
 Nash grabbed her by the arms and Cam grabbed her by the legs, the boys carrying her on top of the pool table. Holly sat criss-crossed on the table and laughed at where they chose to lay here.  
  
 "Why are you taking me to the pool table?" She chuckled.  
  
 "Because... We thought it would make this more interesting," Nash stated.  
  
 Holly slowly nodded, staring at the ground. After a moment, Cam brought up Hayes again.  
  
 "So, did you want to be in a relationship with him?" Cam calmly asked.  
  
 Holly looked back up at the boys and blushed, a retrained smile on her face. The boys laughed at her reaction when Nash asked again.  
  
 "Holly, would you want to be his girlfriend?" Nash asked.  
  
 "Be honest," Cam added.  
  
 Holly looked at the two of them for a moment. She loved Hayes, but she was beginning to like the other boys better. To be frank, she'd much rather have a relationship with Jack G, or possibly even Nash. Cam was pretty cute, and she was the most in love with his personality out of all the other boys, and personality obviously mattered much more than looks by a long shot. Plus, Cam looked a lot like a Dutch boy she knew at her school that she was friends with. The Dutch boy was pretty weird and nerdy, and it was one of the reasons why Holly loved him as a friend. Since they had a striking resemblance, it made her even more attracted to Cam. Being a hormonal teenager made her attracted to almost all the boys in Magcon.  
  
 To answer the question after a small moment of silence, Holly slowly shook her head to get an immediate reaction that was just like the last. Cam and Nash roared and raved at her response, jumping around and doing cartwheels and such. Holly laughed at their reaction, shouting at them to never tell Hayes or any of the other guys. The two boys promised they wouldn't tell anyone, even though it felt like a pretty hard secret for them to keep.  
  
 Right when the boys promised to keep their secret, Holly suddenly felt the pool table knock over, Cam and Nash catching her and holding her bridal style. Holly's shaking body turned over to see Taylor Caniff creeping out of a hole by the pool table, his head being right in front of where one of the legs of the table would be.  
  
 "Sorry," He gave a fake smile to add to his apology. "I pushed the pool table because it was in my way."  
  
 "DUDE, WHY ARE YOU COMING IN HERE FROM THE FUCKING HOLE?!" Nash guffawed.  
  
 "That shit's pretty Vine-worthy," Cam remarked.  
  
 "Well, I'm not supposed to be here," Taylor said. "Jack J won't let me in his house since I kinda got hold of his vodka collection."  
  
 The three laughed.  
  
 "A vodka collection?" Holly repeated. "Hmm..."  
  
 "Hey, who's your friend?" Taylor asked the boys.  
  
 "Oh, this is Holly, Jack G's girlfriend," Nash said.  
  
 Cam's jaw dropped, punching him in the arm.  
  
 "Jack's girlfriend?" Taylor repeated. "Isn't he dating that Madison girl?"  
  
 "I don't  _think_ they are?" Nash weakly lied.  
  
 "Nash, give it up, you're a terrible liar," Holly retorted.   
  
 "I'm sorry!" Nash whispered.  
  
 "Guys, what's going on?" Taylor chirped.  
  
 "Okay, so Holly has a cute little crush on our Jack Gilinsky friend," Cam explained with a touch of sarcasm.  
  
 "Shut up," Holly said. "Nash, why you gotta be such a loudmouth?"  
  
 "Hey, I'm sorry!" Nash whined. "I forgot, I just-"  
  
 "Dude, it's no big deal," Taylor interrupted.  
  
 Nash sighed.  
  
 "It's no big deal," Taylor said again. "I really don't care. Don't get into any trouble with Madison, okay?"  
  
 Holly nodded.

 Nash and Cam put her down. As they all walked upstairs, Holly whispered to Cam, "But I can't make any promises."

 

 Cam gave her a fist bump, whispering back, "Your secret is safe with me. Don't tell Nash."

 

 The two chuckled as Jack, Jack and Hayes walked in with their Chicken Shack buckets. Cam gave Holly a look when Jack G walked in the room.

 

 "Hey Taylor, what are you doing here?" Jack G chuckled with a shocked expression.

 

 "Well Jack, the other Jack banned me from your house because I stole from his _lovely_ alcohol cabinet," Taylor said.

 

 Jack J laughed at himself.

 

 "Dude, that was weeks ago," Jack said to him. "It's all good. It was a dumb argument anyway."

 

 Taylor and Jack J both laughed at the situation and gave each other a high-five. 

 

 "It's so cute when white boys forgive each other," Cam joked to Holly.

 

 "True," She chuckled. "They're even doing their little fuckboy handshake. It's so sweet!"

 

 "HEY, WE HEARD THAT!" Jack J sarcastically shouted at them as they walked into the dining room. Cam had to restrain himself from trying to swing on the giant chandelier above the table. Holly and Cam would be joking about it for the rest of dinner.

 

 Once they all finished setting the table, sitting with their chicken on their plates, they joked about who would say the prayer. Eventually, Nash agreed to say the prayer for all of them.

 

 "Dear Lord," He began as a few of them chortled out of sync. "Thank you so much for giving us this blessid chicken. We thank you-"

 

 "That's not a real word, Nash," Cam interrupted the prayer. 

 

 "I DON'T GIVE A FUCK!" Nash shouted with sarcasm. "THIS IS MY PRAYER! BLESSID IS A WORD! GODDAMN IT, CAM!"

 

 "DON'T USE THE LORD'S NAME IN VAIN!" Hayes shouted. 

 

 "WILL YOU SHUT UP AND LET ME PRAY?!" Nash yelled, struggling not to laugh.

 

 This whole fight was pure sarcasm, and they all enjoyed the realness of it. All the friends continued to go back and forth until eventually Nash got to finish his prayer, using a spoon to tap his can of root beer to command everyone's attention.

 

 "Dear God, thank you so much for giving us this  _really good_ chicken!" Nash said, making sure to look at Cam when he said "really good". "We are very happy to have Hayes come back from Chicago safe and sound, and most of all we are very lucky that he had such a good time and even brought  _a friend._ "

 

 All the boys had their eyes on Holly now. Holly blushed, feeling all the attention on her now. They stared with sarcastic great interest, Taylor loudly licking his lips and sending the whole table in a roar of laughter. Once the laughter settled down, Nash continued.

 

 "While this friend is  _very delicious,_ as Taylor just showed us," Nash joked.

 

 "DELICIOUS?!" Holly interrupted. "BITCH I WILL FUCK YO FATHER AND MAKE YO ASS MY STEPSON IF YOU SAY THAT SHIT AGAIN! DON'T FUCK WITH ME, BOY!"

 

 The boys all laughed at her response. Nash made a disgusted expression to add to it, which made the situation even more funny.

 

 "But forreal," Nash continued for them to recollect themselves. "Holly is great and we are really happy we met her."

 

 Holly put her hand on her chest with great affection.

 

 "We hope that Holly enjoys her time in Los Angeles, so please give us grace and remind us to be hospitable as she stays here," Nash said in all seriousness. "Most of all, please let us have a lot of fun together and enjoy one another's company. We thank you for the wonderful life you have given us and we promise to trust in you. Amen."

 

 "Amen!" They all rejoiced at different times. 

 

 The friends began feasting on their chicken. Holly was touched that she was included in the prayer, smiling to herself as she took a bite out of the delicious fried chicken. It made her feel so included whenever Nash mentioned her in those kinds of things.

 

 After a minute of everyone silently taking a moment to adjust and enjoy their food, the guys started to ask Holly questions as she ate her broasted potatoes.

 

 "So Holly, whatcha think of LA so far?" Nash asked after taking a sip of root beer.

 

 "It's really nice, it's so busy," Holly said. "It's still a big city like Chicago, but this place looks more summer-y."

 

 "Well, it  _is_ summer!" Jack J added in sarcasm.

 

 "No shit, Sherlock," Holly joked.

 

 "But really, what have you done so far other than crash Hayes' shitty apartment?" Nash joked.

 

 "My apartment is shit?!" Hayes added on to the joke.

 

 "Well, other than  _crashing his shitty apartment_ ," Holly replied, "We didn't really do anything. We just chilled. We didn't really have a lot of time to do anything since our flight was later in the day."

 

 "Just 'chilled'?" Nash asked. "That's cool?"

 

 "Oooooh, they just chilled!" Cam said in a voice. "They did the frickle frackle!"

 

 "No, no," Holly chuckled. "We just talked."

 

 "That's what they  _all_ say!" Cam added. They all chuckled as Cam creepily wiggled his fingers to add to the voice, making a face. Some of them mirrored his actions in response.

 

 "Well, we're gonna have to take you on a little tour of Los Angeles," Nash said once they regrouped.

 

 "Yeah, we gotta show you A WHOLE NEW WORLD!" Jack J broke into song.

 

 "A DAZZLING PLACE I NEVER KNEW!" The others sang back with their own twist of the lyrics. Realizing some of them got the lyrics wrong, they all laughed and gave each other looks, playfully making fun of their interpretations, specifically Jack G who said, "A BRAND NEW PLACE, I AM A JEW!"

 

 "Yes, I'm in a brand new place so I'm Jewish!" Holly joked in response.

 

 The boys laughed as they made more jokes about his misheard lyrics.

 

 "Well Holly, you'll have to stay for Chanukah!" Hayes joked. 

 

 "I'm Jewish, I'm up for some Chanukah action!" Jack G added.

 

 "Remember when there was a huge debates between the fans about your ethnicity?" Cam laughed. "'Is Jack Gilinsky Hispanic?' 'Is Jack Gilinsky Italian?'"

 

 "Oh my god, that was the dumbest thing ever," Jack J commented.

 

 "That was hilarious though," Holly added. "I love how they cared so much, like they really wanted to know!"

 

 "They all thought I was Mexican just because I'm dark!" Jack G joked. "Racists!"

 

 "' _Just because I'm dark',"_ Nash added with a chuckle.

 

 "Oh Jack, how we love you," Cam laughed. "BUT NO HOMOOOO!"

 

 The boys laughed and all chirped, "NO HOMO!"

 

 "The haters will bother you 'til the end of time about your old homophobic tweets," Taylor said to Nash.

 

 Nash sighed, not truly upset but emphasizing how done he was with the hate.

 

 "Listen, these people constantly antagonized me about all these dumb, ignorant things I tweeted when I was 14 and really insecure!" Nash added, sounding somewhat frustrated but also laughing at the ridiculousness of it. "I had the most ignorant mind, I swear to God. It was 2012!"

 

 "That was stupid too," Cam remarked. "Thank God people moved on from that crap."

 

 "Yeah," Nash replied.

 

 "They can't move past homophobia, but they can't look past the racism they make poor Jack G face when they fight over his ethnicity," Jack J joked.

 

 The friends rejoiced at his clever joke. 

 

 "So Jack, what is your ethnicity?" Holly asked. "Oh, and you all know which Jack I'm talking about because Jack J is Anglo as fuck!"

 

 The boys all "OOOOOH"'d at her reply as she sat there like a queen. Jack J made a face and chuckled at her sarcastic shade.

 

 "Well, since we all already know what my little Anglo friend here is, I'll tell you what I am!" Jack G joked, playfully patting Jack J on the head. "I'm half Jew half Mexican, so Hitler would only hate half of me."

 

 Their eyes widened as they roared at Hitler's name.

 

 "WHY DID YOU BRING UP.... ADOLF?!" Jack J shouted.

 

 "Because, I'm a Jew!" Jack G chuckled.

 

 "TASTELESS!" Taylor said in a voice.

 

 "Why are people still scared of Hitler? He's dead," Cam laughed.

 

 "Exactly, if you fear Adolf he's gonna creep into your bedroom at night and KILL YOU!" Nash cracked.

 

 "True," Holly replied. "But I'm not afraid of Hitler because he's my great-grandpa."

 

 The boys chuckled at her silly joke.

 

 "Imagine if someone that got really easily offended heard our conversations!" Hayes added, sending the room in a storm of even more laughter.

 

 "WE ARE TERRIBLE PEOPLE!" Taylor joked.

 

 "YEAH!" They all agreed in unison.

 

 ---

 

 Once they finished their dinner and their very loud and interesting table conversation, they stormed to the living room. The Jacks felt too lazy to clean up, so they'd just let the maid get it the next morning. Besides, the maid always threw a fit when there was nothing to clean. The friends all deciding it was time to go, they all said their goodbyes and took off back home in their cars, big smiles on their faces as they reminisced on the lovely day they had together.

 

 Hayes drove off in his car, Holly sitting in shot-gun, rolling down her windows and yelling "SHOT GUN!" at Cam in Nash in their cars. She rolled up the window with a smile as they rolled on home.

 

 "That was so much fun," Hayes grinned.

 

 "Yeah, it was," Holly agreed.

 

 "We should definitely do it again."

 

 "We should do it at your house. Their house is of course amazing, but there's something very comforting about your apartment. It makes me feel at home."

 

 "Yeah," Hayes half-agreed, having flashbacks of himself dealing with the corpses of his enemies on the same bed him and Holly cuddled on. This was when he realized that he was still a gangster and his vacation was over.  _Back to work,_ he thought.  _But how am I gonna do it while Holly is here?_


	21. Chapter 21

 Hayes made sure to wake up the next morning at least an hour before Holly. He dressed in a casual outfit, a loose summer tank top and shorts, and put his gun in his pocket since he could already sense trouble. Hayes had a lot of nerve to take a vacation, let alone a vacation for two months straight, so he had to come back better, faster and stronger than before. His plan was to go deal some cocaine in the abandoned building he always worked at. He would always get the same clients and only work for around 2 hours since his favorite pastime was killing those that were acting out of line or pimp some of his male "friends" that were gay prostitutes. The main reason why he was only the pimp of males was because since there was such a limited number of male prostitutes, it meant that all the gay men and straight women flocked to him if they needed a guy for an hour. Due to the scarce number of men that worked for Hayes, he made the prices extra expensive for a guy. Since Hayes was all about the money and not about his "friends", he took half the money that the prostitute made for an hour. Typically Hayes would charge $1000 per visit, Hayes getting  _at least_ $500 and the man getting the rest. Streetwalkers that he disrespected he would take much more money from, say earning $1000 for a visit and Hayes would take $900. The call boy wasn't allowed to refuse Hayes, and if they did then Hayes would shoot them in the face. If the call boy was caught lying (something that never happened since they knew how cruel Hayes could be) and gave Hayes less of the money than they should have, then Hayes would stab them in the throat with a dagger and repeatedly stab their face in a haste, and that would only be on a day when Hayes was feeling generous. He was never afraid to do much worse to those that disobeyed him, and there was nothing he loathed more than a selfish liar.

 As Hayes searched through his drawers for his large stash of cocaine, Holly slowly began to wake up. She woke up quietly enough for him not to notice, so when she rubbed her eyes and saw Hayes searching the drawers in a haste, she continued watching him search whilst pretending to sleep. Knowing that he'd be embarrassed if he knew she was awake, even though she had no idea what he was looking for (but she knew it was bad from the look on his face), she pretended to sleep but didn't stop watching. Once he finally found his stash, he held the bag in front of his beaming face and examined it with stars in his eyes.

 "Yeahhh, I've been looking for you," He moaned as he shoved it deep in his pocket. "I'm gonna be back in the game in no time!"

  _Shit, is that cocaine?!_ Holly thought.  _It's something in a bag, I don't know. That's really weird._

After a moment of Hayes eyeing himself in the mirror and playing with his face, making multiple different facial expression and fiddling with his hair, Holly pretended to wake up from a deep sleep. Hayes smiled at her.

 "Good morning, baby," He grinned as he hugged her and gave her a kiss on the forehead. There was a crackling sound coming from Hayes pocket, so he nervously adjusted his pocket in hopes Holly wouldn't notice.

 "Good morning," She chirped back, holding his face and kissing his cheek. She rose out of her bed in her red satin bra and underwear, brushing her teeth in the bathroom attached to Hayes' bedroom. She kept the door open so she could talk to her love.

 "Hey sweetie, I think I'm gonna go out for a while," Hayes announced as he put on his sunglasses and shoved his wallet in his pocket. When he shifted around the wallet, there was even more crinkling sounds emerging from the bag. He was trying to hide it but to no avail.

 "Hayes, what's in your pocket?" Holly asked as she drank a glass of water, putting away her toothbrush.

 "What do you mean?" Hayes nervously chuckled.

 She marched in the room and stood in front of him face-to-face. He gave an anxious smile, trying too hard to keep cool. Holly was silent for a moment to show that she saw right through him.

 "Hayes, you're acting very.....  _Sketchy..._ Right now," She said.

 "What? What do you mean?" He tried.

 "Hayes, I'm not stupid. What's in the bag? When I woke up, I saw you pick up a bag of what looked like cocaine or something powdery."

 Hayes sighed, knowing he couldn't hide anything from her. He shuffled through his pockets and eventually found the bag of cocaine, taking it out to show her. She examined it for a minute, unable to believe what she was looking at.

 "You do cocaine?" She asked as she handed back the bag.

 "No, I don't," Hayes retorted as he grabbed it back.

 "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you upset."

 "I'm not upset, I just didn't want you to know."

 "Why?"

 Hayes sighed.

 "I told you, I'm a mobster," He said as he gazed at the bag. "Mobsters deal drugs, gamble, pimp, murder-"

 "PIMP?!" Holly gasped.

 Hayes gingerly rested a finger on her lips, mostly doing so because it turned him on. Holly didn't want to admit that it turned her on as well.

 "I only deal with gay prostitutes," He explained. "They're  _men._ They make better profit."

 Removing his finger from her lips, she gave a fake pout in walked back in the bathroom.

 "Okay, while you do your pimp things, I'll be in the shower," Holly said. "If you come back by lunch, please pick something up at Taco Bell or something!" 

 "Sure thing!" Hayes beamed. "Thanks for being so understanding! You're sweet."

 She smiled at him.  _Aw, really?_ She thought with a blush.

 "Bye beautiful!" He called. "The house is yours! Don't restrict yourself, do as you please!"

 "Thanks prince! Bye!" She replied as she began undressing, shutting the door as she did so.

 ---

 As Hayes dealt drugs in the abandoned building, Holly was singing to herself in the shower and thinking about what she would do with herself for the day. The reason she was so chill about the whole gangster thing because she thought it was romantic: while he was out dealing drugs and pimping hoes, she was out in LA with all the money he gave her, doing whatever she pleased. Yes, it may sound fucked up, but she loved it that way, and she ate up every ounce of it. Once she hopped out of the shower, smelling freshly like lavender (a scent she wore since she believed it would make those around her sleepy), she jumped into a pink-and-black peter pan collared shirt and black leggings. The reason why this is relevant is because it made her feel so sleek and so fashionable, ready to kick off her day in a town where no one knew her name. She wanted to make a name for herself in LA, dressing as the fashionable teenager that had a relationship with a mobster. It was all so romantic to her she couldn't even fathom it.

 She strutted down the hallway to the luxurious living room and kitchen. It was so beautiful that it was almost unreal.  _I got so lucky,_ She thought. Holly was so used to her ghetto apartment that she lived in with her mother back in Chicago, a phone being her only luxury, that this was so unreal to her. 

 "How much money does he make from being a mobster?" She said to herself out loud as she examined the living room, looking out the window that was on the front door. The living room had a color scheme of mainly white, green and brown, so it had a very earthy feel with a touch of glamour. All of this made her aspire to be rich as an adult, even though she had high doubts of even making it in the middle class.

 Extremely in focus on her exploration of the apartment, fascinated with the luxury and realness of it, she was startled when there was a sudden knock on the door. She looked through the window and saw it was Cameron, so with a smile on her face she opened the door and welcomed him in.

 "Hey Cam," She greeted as he walked in, holding the door for him. "Hayes isn't here right now, he's at work."

 "Baby, please, you don't have to sugarcoat it for me," Cam kept it blunt. "I know that he's dealing drugs in an abandoned house, it's no secret at this point.

 "HE WORKS AT AN ABANDONED HOUSE?!"

 "Uh,  _yeah,"_ He chuckled. "Where else is he gonna deal drugs?  _At the Jack and Jack mansion?"_

 "Oh my god, don't say mansion. You make them sound so high-class," Holly tittered.

  
 "Well, they  _are._ As immature as they act, they're rich guys."

 "Are you kidding? You're  _all_ rich guys!" 

 "No, no, we're not."

 "Yes you are! Dude, you're saying that when I lived in the most ghetto apartment in Chicago. We were lucky if we could even pay the water bill without having to sell something."

 "Pfft, don't act like we're these high-class guys," Cam said. "We didn't always have this stuff, you know. We all started out as normal guys, and then Vine changed everything."

 "True," Holly agreed. "It's so unthinkable that you got so successful from an  _app._ "

  "Well, when you say it that way it sounds pathetic."

 "No, I mean no disrespect! I'm just saying that it's amazing how much society has evolved. You did the unthinkable! Now people don't care about those things anymore. Now that Vine is long-gone --- and so is Instagram and Twitter and Facebook and everything --- people get famous off other things like being on reality shows or being in a rock band. I don't know, something like that. It's cool that there was a time when you could get rich and famous for the simplest things."

 They made themselves comfortable in the living room, Cam and Holly cuddling on the couch. Holly was leaning into his neck, his warm embrace holding her as they talked. He rested his head on top of her's, enjoying the feel of her soft skin and feminine presence. They took a moment to enjoy the touch of one another, smiling since they knew exactly what the other was thinking.

 "It wasn't as easy to become famous as you make it out to be," Cam said after a moment. "Yes, those things like Vine and YouTube made it a lot easier to get famous, but it took a lot of work too. First we made videos having no idea what it would become, and then it got huge without really realizing it. But when I realized it,  _I realized it,_ believe me. It was great when I finally got to tour the country, meeting the people who were actually  _watching me_ and had their own opinions of me, but it wasn't nearly as fun as I thought it would be. Those things are much more fun in your mind than in real life, but I have no complaints. I really enjoyed it, despite all the work. I was constantly touring, recording music, making YouTube videos, making  _even more_ YouTube videos with friends, and just a cluster of things no teenager should ever have to deal with at that age."

 They were silent for a moment. The more Cameron thought about it, the more he realized that his teenage years were taken away from him. He never really got time to grow up at that time; being a teenager in the public eye meant you weren't allowed to make mistakes, or simply enjoy your youth. No matter what you did, there would be so many strangers judging him. Even friends and family would judge him. It made him feel alone, like he couldn't be himself, and the true him was so hidden that it was now hollow and meaningless.

 "Now that I think of it, I never really got to be a teenager..." Cam said, removing his head off of Holly's as he stared off into space. "I never got a chance to just enjoy being young. They made me become an adult way too fast... I wasn't allowed to be myself or else I'd be a bad person. It's such a relief to be much less in the public eye now... Even though I still make music, it is so much more fun now that I don't have to worry as much about keeping a reputation. Since most of those girls that loved Magcon are long past that stage, I don't have anyone to impress. I can just be  _me._ "

 Holly kissed him on the cheek. His face lightened up as he gave a giant grin.

 "You can always be you," She said. "Besides, Magcon helped shaped who you are today. Without it, you wouldn't have made all the friends you have now."

 "Most of my friends aren't from Magcon," he said. "I have much more friends than I did as a teenager. Back in the day, I had no time for real, genuine friends I could count on."

 "Not even Magcon?"

 He was silent for a moment.

 "Well, we got closer as we got older," He confessed. "As a teenager, the more the fame got to me, the more annoyed I got with them. It was all about me, and I couldn't stand it that there were a bunch of other guys that girls probably liked better than me. Most of the time it felt like I was competing with them, seeing who would be more liked or more successful. More often than not, I saw Nash as my competition. He was the one that stole all the girls hearts; the one I envied, my rival... The worst part about it was that Hollywood wanted it to seem like we were all the best of friends. While I did like them for the most part, I also really hated them. I don't know, I guess fame really tainted my opinion of them, but now that my head is out of my ass and I'm, as I like to say, 'sober' from fame, I love them with all my heart. They really are true friends. We all were tainted by fame in some way, and we all know it. But thank God we changed, and now we can truly be friends and genuinely care about each other. No more competition, just... Friendship."

 "Do you ever feel the competition kick in again?" Holly asked. "Like, just out of habit?"

 "Yeah, occasionally," Cam said. "I try to suppress it since those days are over, and it's pretty easy now since I'm much more mature and I'm past the whole 'I need to be better than everyone' thing. Sometimes Hayes still has trouble getting that through his head, but that's just because he's an arrogant guy."

 "Really? I don't see that in him."

 "OH, YOU WILL! I love him like a brother, don't get me wrong, but he can be  _very_ arrogant. I think most of it comes from him being a gangster... You kind of have to be that way in order to make it."

 Holly snuggled closer into Cam, sending an unintentional moan from Cam. She grinned at his response, Cam trying to hide his blushing cheeks.

 "Sorry," he quickly apologized.

 "I like it," She admitted.

 He grinned and felt the embarrassment lift off his shoulders. Cam put his arm back around her and nuzzled the side of her face, kissing and nibbling her ears. She began to lightly moan until they realized what they were doing. Cam suddenly stopped, standing up, brushing himself off as she looked up at him with wide eyes. He gazed into her beautiful eyes for a moment, locking eye contact for a considerable amount of time until he nervously bolted out the door. Puzzled, Holly jumped up and bolted to the balcony, looking down to see Cam running down the stairs in a haste. She knew he felt bad, but she didn't. There was something she loved about it. Hayes was sweet, but she wasn't all that into him from a romantic perspective. Jack G was sweet and very beautiful, but she could relate much better to Cam. There was something about Cam that turned her on so much.

  _You'll have to get him another day,_ She thought as she watched him run to his car and drive off.  _Another day._  



	22. Chapter 22

 Once Hayes finished doing business with his last customer of the day, he strutted out of the building with a wad of cash. Right when he walked out the door, putting the wad in his wallet, he heard police sirens and hid in the field of grass beside the house. This happened almost weekly, so it didn't scare him at all. Even though police rarely did check-ups at the abandoned houses, one never knows when one could happen. Besides, what's more sketchy than watching a well-dressed guy walk out of an abandoned house with a wad of cash? 

 

 Bent over in the grass, carefully listening to where the sirens were going, he peaked through the grass to see who the officers were in the car. Once the car drove by, he saw Jack Johnson's dad strolling by in the cop car. He gave a respectful solute to the car (even though no one could see him... If they did he would be screwed!) and ran back down to the sidewalk. Walking to the parking lot of the nearby dentist, he started getting deep into thought. Was Cig back in Chicago yet? Were the Panthers worth worrying about? And if they were still relevant to worry about, then would Hayes be on the run from them, or would he just stay in LA and come up with some long and complicated plan? 

 

 "I really don't wanna think about this shit," Hayes said to himself as he pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He took one out, lit it and rested it in his mouth. A good smoke would help soothe him and block out all the Panther nonsense. 

 

 Once he got in the parking lot, the beautiful blue sky hitting his eyes, he started thinking about his girl Holly. Then he remembered that he had forgotten to ask her to be his girlfriend. 

 

 "Shit, today would be an awful time to ask!" He said to himself as he got in his car. He started it up and talked to himself as he drove, windows rolled up. 

 

 "I can't ask her today after I just got a boat-load of cash from dealing drugs!" He said as he blowed out the smoke. "I'd be a  _terrible_  man if I did that! That's not smooth at all!"

 

 Soon he remembered that he was going to order Holly some Taco Bell. Stopping by the drive-thru, he ordered her a few tacos and a frozen baja blast.  _Bitches love baja blast,_ he thought. He ordered some tacos for himself as well since he was always in the mood for them. Who doesn't love a good taco?

 

 "My baby's gonna love me once I come home with some Taco Bell and chocolates!" He said to himself after he retrieved his meal, driving away as he rolled up the windows. "I was in the mood for some good tacos anyway! Now to the drugstore so I can spoil my girl with some chocolates."

 

 He pulled into the driveway of Rite-Aid and left his Taco Bell in the car, walking into the store and looking around a bit. This ended up hurting him A LOT. 

 

 ---

 

 The Panthers were driving in their car when they passed by the Rite Aid Hayes was at. 

 

 "BOYS, THATS THE CAR! THATS IT! WE GOTTA GET IN THERE!" Stevie shouted as they drove by. 

 

 The car took an abrupt stop when all the boys were shouting "WHERE?! WHERE?!" They pulled into the drive-way WAY past the speed limit. The other cars began repeatedly honking at them as they ran out of the car and into the Rite Aid with full gear. 

 

 Hayes was looking through the candy aisle when the herd of men dashed into the store. The men were all wearing suits, guns in their hands as they searched for their bait. The suits alone added suspicion to the man working as the cashier, so he instructed the men to leave. Hayes couldn't see them, so he wasn't aware of the danger that was yet to come. 

 

 "Hey, I will not allow guns in my store!" The cashier said with a Spanish accent. 

 

 Cig pointed the gun in the cashier's face, shouting, "YOU LET US IN THE STORE OR I SHOOT!"

 

 Hayes' eyes widened, his heart thumping so hard in his chest once he recognized the voice. 

 

 Shit, HE'S BACK! Hayes thought as he sneaked to the toiletry aisle, hiding in one of the racks. He hid behind packs of toilet paper, feeling more claustrophobic than ever before. If the space wasn't so damn right he wouldn't be as afraid, but all that truly mattered at that point was that he was safe and sound from the Panthers. 

 

 Toilet paper packs covered every inch of his body. He wasn't able to see through since he didn't want them to see his eyes. Hearing the footsteps of the men draw nearer and nearer, searching the store everywhere for their target, Hayes even held in his breath since he felt they could hear the slightest of sounds. 

 

 "Boys, he's not in here!" Stevie announced. Hayes felt a weight lift off his shoulders, feeling relief soothe him. 

 

 "Then where is he?" Diamond challenged. "Could he be in the Dollar Tree next door?"

 

 "THATS A HUGE STORE! WE WILL NEVER FIND HIM!" One of the men argued. 

 

 "Guys, we gotta do what he gotta do," Cig said. "Let's go."

 

 Hayes heard the loud footsteps of the men march out of the store, letting out a sigh of relief once he heard them walk out the door. The cashier ran out of the store, watched the Panthers walk into Dollar Tree, and then ran back in announcing, "Sorry for the trouble everyone! The guys are gone!"

 

 Letting out a sigh of relief, Hayes crawled out of the rack and ran for his life into the parking lot. Not turning back, he drove off to his house, the speed limit no longer an issue he cared for. He got home as fast as he could and parked in the back of the parking lot of his apartment complex. Even though he was now safe from mayhem (somewhat), he still felt his heart thumping in his chest. With the Taco Bell bags in his hands, he ran up the stairs and hurriedly shoved in his room key. He opened the door and walked in calmly as if nothing had just happened. In case Holly was there, he didn't want her to worry about it. He placed the Taco Bell bags on his kitchen counter, calling Holly's name. 

 

 "HOLLY? HOLLY!" He called as he searched the house for her. After searching every room, she wasn't in there. 

 

 "Hmm... She must have gone somewhere," Hayes said to himself. "It's good that she's exploring LA. I'll just call her and say I've got Taco Bell for her."

 

 He dialed her number in his phone and waited for her to pick up. 

 

 "Hello?" Her deep, peaceful voice eventfully answered after many rings. 

 

  "Hey Holly," He said. "I got Taco Bell for you. Come back whenever you want; I'll just leave your foot in the fridge, okay?" 

 

 "Oh thanks!" 

 

 "So where are you?" 

 

 "I'm at Dollar Tree."

 

 "WHAT?!" He yelled. 

 

 "Yeah, what's... Wrong?" She raised an eyebrow, not realizing that the Panthers were fighting behind her. 

 

 "Nothing, just get out of there."

 

 "'Get out of there'? No! You can't tell me what to do, you don't own me!"

 

 "No, it's not that at all! I just need you to come home!"

 

 "Bye,  _Hayes,"_ She sassed as she hung up the phone. She shoved her phone in her pocket, rolled her eyes and began to hear punching noises behind her. Looking back, she saw The Pink Panthers, her eyes widened once they saw guns in their hands. When Oscar recognized her, he gave a nervous smile and made a friendly approach. 

 "Oh hey, Holly!" Oscar began. "It's so funny I see you here! Last time I saw you we were in Chicago! Ha ha..."

 

 Holly's eyes widened as she watched the men continuously beat each other. 

 

 "Oh, oh this?" Oscar nervously chuckled, referring to the fighting. "Oh, these are just my friends. They're just getting into a little tussle! Nothing... Major..." 

 

 Holly was frozen. She dropped everything she was going to buy and bolted out of the store, Oscar chasing after her. 

 

 "Wait! It's not what you think!" He protested as she ran to her car. 

 

 "No! I don't like this at all, Oscar!" She stopped and faced him, her hand balled in a fist. 

 

 "I'm sorry! I really didn't think I would see you today!" He held her waist to soothe her, but to no avail, she slapped his hands and he put them off. 

 

 "OSCAR! I WAS WRONG ABOUT YOU! I REALLY THOUGHT WE COULD STILL BE FRIENDS AFTER YOU TOLD ME ABOUT YOUR MAFIA SHIT, BUT YOU ARE A FREAK! I CAN'T BE FRIENDS WITH A GUY THAT IS GONNA CHASE ME AROUND LA WITH HIS LITTLE MAFIA FRIENDS!" 

 

 She turned back and unlocked the car (it was Cam's car. He let her borrow it), but before she could get in Oscar pulled her back and looked her in the eyes. 

 

 "Holly, we were not chasing you!" He stressed. "We're just hunting down a guy we gotta get revenge from! It's pure coincidence I saw you! I'd never hurt you, and you know that."

 

 She was fuming even more now. 

 

 "HUNTING SOMEONE DOWN?!" She repeated. "WHO ARE YOU HUNTING DOWN?!"

 

 "Hayes Grier, the worst 'gangster' of all time," He smirked. 

 

 She smacked him in the face as hard as she could muster. 

 

 "HAYES GRIER?! YOU CAN'T JUST HUNT PEOPLE DOWN AND KILL THEM!" Holly was aggravated. "PEOPLE AREN'T ANIMALS, BUT YOU WOULDN'T KNOW THAT SINCE  _YOU ARE_ AN ANIMAL!"

 

 She jumped in the car and drove off, furious, wishing she had listened to Hayes. Holly drove off, leaving a frozen and shocked Cig standing in his exact spot, a stunned expression on his face. He was unable to move, to blink, to think... He was too shocked at what he just experienced to do anything. Left there, staring off into space, the rest of the world feeling one million feet away from where he stood. 

 

 ---

 

 The fast and furious Holly drove into the parking lot of Hayes' apartment complex and slammed the door shut. She ran up the stairs, feeling herself about to cry. When she ran in the apartment, Hayes already knew she was upset. 

 

 "Hey Holly," He gave the weakest fake smile in the world. 

 

 "You were right," She confessed. "I'm so sorry."

 

 Failing to hold herself together, she began crying hysterically. Covering her face with her hands, she tried to block herself from Hayes. His face hardened, frowning, hating to see her so upset. He walked to her and gingerly embraced her, giving her the warmest hug she had ever felt. She wrapped his arms around him and met his embrace, burying her face in his chest. She felt so protected, and he could feel it. It made him feel much better as he comforted his love, holding her sweetly as she cried. He didn't even ask anything; he just let her bawl her eyes out. Resting his head on top of hers, he felt his soft hair below his chin. He loved her so much. 

 

 ---

 

 When she was done crying, she retreated to Hayes' bedroom and fell asleep. He sipped his frozen Coke that he bought from Taco Bell as he watched her sleep for a moment. He set down his drink and sat on the bed beside her, petting her hair. 

 

 "I'm so sorry, sweetie," He whispered as he kissed her gingerly on the cheek. "Sleep in peace."


	23. Chapter 23

It had been a rough day for Holly and Hayes (and yes, Holly did end up eating the Taco Bell Hayes bought for her). Now that Hayes knew he really _had_ to be on the run, he was stressed out most of the time and constantly feared for his safety (even though a good chunk of it was from him being over-dramatic about the situation). He wouldn't even leave the house for the rest of the day since he feared they would find him and follow him home. The whole night he was left sleepless, staring at the ceiling as Holly slumbered in peace.  _I really wish you knew what was going on in my head,_ Hayes thought.  _Shit, I still have no idea what happened at Dollar Tree!_

 

He got on Holly's phone and saw a new text from Cig. Silently repeating the same short prayer that Holly wouldn't wake up, he unlocked it and read the text. The text read:

 

  _Holly, I'm really sorry about today. The last thing I expected was for you to actually come to LA, let alone see me and the boys. Listen, I get that you don't really like the decisions I've made and everything, but it's my life. These are all the choices I've made, and even if they're something as crazy as forming a mafia, they're my choices to make. If you don't respect the choices I've made in my life, that is totally fine. I have a lot of other people supporting me, so one person's opinion isn't going to stop me. You know I care about you and have all the love in the world for you, but I'm not gonna stop what I'm doing. This is my life. I hope you feel better in the morning. Oh, and until then, just know that no matter who I'm targeting whether it be Hayes Grier or your best friend, I treat them like animals because **that's what they are.** If you act like an animal, I treat you like an animal, and that's just the way it is. Go ahead, call me an animal. At this point I really don't care. When you stormed off, I was really shocked and feeling really regretful, but now that I look back, I realize that the only thing I regretted was how I reacted. I should have been confident when I told you about my lifestyle, not trying to submit to your liking. I do what I gotta do and that's all there is to it. Goodbye._ _  
_

 

 He finished reading the text, unable to believe what he was reading.His eyes kept on stopping at his name, hurt since he knew all this hatred coming from Cig was all because of him.  _That monster,_ Hayes thought.  _I swear I gotta get revenge in some way. He's trash and I'm so much more; who the HELL does this guy think he is?_

 

Hayes didn't care that it was 1 AM in the morning; he quickly got ready and drove to Cam's house.

 

 ---

 

 Cam was abruptly awoken when he heard a loud knock on the door. Rubbing his eyes, he got his robe on and flung out the door. He opened the front door and gave Hayes a sleepy welcome, not really realizing how strange it was that Hayes was here.

 

 "Hi Hayes," Cam said with a sleepy voice. "What are you doing here?"

 

 "I needed someone to talk to. May I come in?"

 

 "Of course."

 

 Hayes walked in as Cam ran to the coffee machine and made Hayes and himself a cup of coffee.

 

 "I'm glad you're here, don't get me wrong," Cam began as he stood at the coffee machine, "But why did you come here so early in the morning without notice? And where's Holly?"

 

 "I'm sorry, I know it's very rude of me to come--" Hayes started. 

 

 "Oh, it's fine. It's all good! You know I always tell you that no matter what day it is, what time it is, if you're having a problem then my house is yours!" 

 

 "Yeah, thank you by the way. But the reason why I came here so early was because... Well, The Pink Panthers are chasing after me."

 

 Cam jumped, his news alone being enough to wake him up.

 

 "THE PINK PANTHERS?!" Cam gasped.

 

 "Yes," Hayes sighed. "And I saw that Holly got a text from Cig, the leader. Holly and Cig were friends long before I knew either of them.. Small world, right? It was this really scary text saying all this stuff like, 'You can't stop me' and 'If you act like an animal I treat you like an animal'! Normally I never go through Holly's texts, but I had to go through this one for obvious reasons."

 

 Cam raised a brow.

 

 "Wait, she knew him before she knew you?" He asked, knowing exactly what he said. 

 

 "Yeah," Hayes nodded.

 

 "The craziest stuff happens to us, I swear to God! I have to believe everything you tell me because no matter  _how_ crazy it is it's always the truth! That's insane!"

 

  "So now the question is what I do now. Do I run from Chicago or fight them, or maybe some other plan? I rarely ever made plans in the past, so-"

 

 "You're a  _gangster,_ " Cam pointed out. "You're  _always_ supposed to have a plan!"

 

 "You wouldn't understand! I work independently so I never need a plan!" Hayes defended himself.

 

 "Well now you do, so you gotta think fast or else the bad guys are gonna get ya."

 

 Cam walked over to the couch Hayes was sitting on and gave him his coffee, taking a sip of his own as he sat on the couch across from Hayes. He thanked Cameron for the coffee and took a sip.

 

 "Very true," Hayes replied as he held the cup in front of him. "And that's exactly what I'm taking about: I need a plan. I need some wise advice from an elder such as yourself."

 

 Cam chuckled at the last part and set down his coffee on the glass table before the couches. 

 

 "Well, I appreciate the high title you just gave me...  _elder_ status," Cam said, "But I'm not a gangster, so I guess I can't give the best answer, but I can tell you this: do the opposite of what these bad guys would expect you to do. So put yourself in their skin, and ask questions like-- say -- 'What's Hayes personality?' Give me one adjective you think they would give you, and don't say anything obvious like 'horrible' or something. What do they think you're like?"

 

 "Uh, I'd say they think I'm pretty arrogant," Hayes said with a half suppressed laugh. "Which is pretty true, but- I guess an arrogant guy would just--"

 

 "You're thinking like two steps ahead of me!" Cam interrupted. "That's what I'm gonna ask later. All I wanted just now was for you to tell me what they think of your personality. So they think you're arrogant? Well, what else do they think of you?"

 

 "They think I'm too independent and seclusive. They also think I'm ruthless and selfish."

 

 "So what would an arrogant, seclusive and selfish man do if a bunch of guys were attacking him?"

 

 "Obviously the selfish man would try to fight back."

 

 "So you think they expect you to fight back?" Cam asked.

 

 Hayes nodded.

 

 "So how would they expect you to fight back? Like you find them and kill them or what?" Cam asked.

 

 "Well, that's exactly what I was thinking: just a simple meet and kill," Hayes answered. "There's not that much to it, and they know how impatient I am. I like to get things done as quickly as efficiently as possible."

 

 Cam nodded, taking in everything Hayes was saying and trying to make something smart out of it.

 

 "So what do you think is the opposite of fighting?" Cam asked.

 

 "Surrendering," Hayes replied. "Obviously the world would be ending if an arrogant bastard like me were to surrender. You'd never see that kind of thing where I just raise my hands like the cops caught me and let them shoot."

 

 "Well you're  _obviously_ not gonna surrender. You don't wanna die from what I can tell."

 

 Hayes nodded.

 

 "I have so much to live for!" He added with passion. "Like, are you kidding me? There's no way in hell I'd wanna go this young! Yes, I've lived a great life so far, but it isn't complete! I just can't let these guys win; that's all I want."

 

 Cam was silent for a moment, thinking about the desperate plea Hayes cried out for without even realizing it. Hayes was so imprisoned by these men that he couldn't decipher a way to escape... He didn't want to admit it, but he was trapped.

 

 Taking a sip of his coffee, Cameron finally came up with a somewhat clever response.

 

 "So the  _last_ thing they would expect is vulnerability?" Cam asked.

 

 Hayes nodded.

 

 "Well, if they don't respect you, then wouldn't they expect some hidden vulnerability?" Cameron challenged. "If they think all this, 'Oh, Hayes thinks he's all this, he thinks he's so tough so we should show him what a real gangster is'... Then maybe they  _do_ expect a somewhat vulnerable response. They'll expect you to realize how 'foolish' you were to take yourself so seriously, and then you'll try to escape from them. An escape would almost be too predictable... Unless you were to challenge them to find you."

 

 Hayes' eyes widened.

 

 "That's a terrible idea!" He fussed. "If I tell them where I am, then they're gonna go and try to find me! They already tried to find me while I was in Chicago and I can't let that happen again."

 

 "You obviously don't tell them  _where_ you are!" Cam crossed his eyebrows with a half-chuckle. "You just challenge them to find you! Telling them where you are would only be a death wish! You give them a letter or something really sneaky telling them that you're on the run, challenging them to find you. It shows that you're truly daring, something they wouldn't expect since they think lowly of you, and also that they will never find you since they're gonna assume you're in some huge city. The point is that you either gotta run away to a really small town or somewhere out of the country --- but going out of the country DOES NOT mean someplace huge like Paris or Shanghai or something. Go somewhere that they wouldn't expect, even if it's an Amish community or some shit. Do something that would never even cross their mind."

 

 Hayes nodded, unable to tell if this was the worst or the best idea Cameron had ever come up with. He thought about his plan for a minute, his mind mostly on what could possibly be the most unexpected place in the world to run off to. He thought of all the endless uncharted islands, some of the Southern-most points in the world, some of the Northern-most points in the world... All of the most unthinkable places that were inhabitable. 

 

 After a moment, Hayes grew confident with the idea.

 

 "Cam," he said with determination, "Gimme a world map."

 

 ---

 

 Cam called Hayes to his bedroom so they could look at the globe sitting on Cameron's desk. The boys played around with it for a minute, spinning it around and saying the names of random countries with strange voices. Eventually the boys got back into focus and looked around, first looking at North America.

 

 "First of all, let me point out that of all the continents in the world, North America  _has_ to be the most predictable place of them all to escape in!" Cam announced. "Especially--" --Cam pointed to the USA-- "THIS place! If you're gonna run away  _anywhere_ in the whole entire world,  _do not_ choose America! That's the worst place you could go, no matter how small the town may be."

 

 "Right," Hayes said. "I have enough money to travel abroad, and I've been waiting to use my passport for years now... Would South America be a good choice?"

 

 " _Noooo!_ One thing you need to learn about making an escape is that South America is one of the other most expected places. Where was the Jonestown massacre?  _South America._ Where was the 1972 Andes flight disaster? South America, hence the 'Andes' part in the name. South America is the home of multiple other disasters, so long story short: DON'T go there. You'd be much better off going somewhere else."

 

 Hayes quickly spun the globe to Europe and pointed to it.

 

 "How about Europe?" Hayes asked.

 

 Cameron sighed.

 

 "What?" Hayes chuckled.

 

 "Please don't tell me you plan on going to Paris, London, or somewhere famous," Cameron said.

 

 "No, I really don't!" Hayes swore. "I was thinking somewhere that no one lives like Luxembourg, Switzerland, Cyprus... Maybe even a small town in northern Sweden or a little village in southern Azerbaijan."

 

 "Azerbai-WHAT?!" Cam laughed.

 

 "EXACTLY! If you can't pronounce the name of where you are, you're in the middle of nowhere! What isn't perfect about that plan?"

 

 "Sure, I'm just still stuck on that crazy name. Maybe you should stick with Sweden so you don't get lost and die."

 

 "I dunno... If I go to Sweden a moose might kill me or a crazy Viking will come and finish me off instead!" Hayes joked.

 

 "Don't tell Holly!" Cam laughed.

 

 "Why?"

 

 "I dunno... Larson sounds pretty Swedish to me. She even looks Swedish!"

 

 "OH MY GOD, I TOTALLY FORGOT! I HAVE TO BRING HOLLY!"

 

 "WHAT?! WHY?!"

 

 "I wanna bring her!" Hayes said. "What isn't romantic about being on the run from the mafia with someone you love?! She'd go crazy if I told her!"

 

 "Okay, but don't blame me if you die in Azerbai-whatever the hell," Cameron joked.

 

 After searching the globe for a while, joking around but also being serious when timed begged them to be, the boys took a rest from their hunt to find the perfect place to settle. When the boys said their goodbyes and Hayes headed home around 7 AM in the morning, Hayes began thinking more about bringing all of his friends on the trip. As he bopped his head to the music in his car as he thought, he wondered how Holly would feel if he brought the whole gang.  _If I'm gonna be on the run, I may as well bring some of my people with me. Who knows, maybe I'll just go with Holly so I can make Cig go crazy that I stole his friend. That would definitely cause some more trouble, wouldn't it?_


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *RAPE WARNING*  
> *This chapter contains rape and sexual assault  
> *Jack Johnson girls may not wanna read this  
> *Please skip this chapter if you aren't comfortable about the subject  
> *This chapter also contains a lot of violence

Holly woke up to her phone ringing. She let out a loud yawn and twitched once she saw Hayes wasn't in the bed. 

 

 "Where the hell is he?" She said to herself before she answered the phone.

 

 "Hello?" She answered.

 

 "Hey, it's me," Hayes said on the other end as he drove on Hollywood Boulevard. "You sound sleepy. Did you just wake up? It's already noon, I'm surprised you slept in so late."

 

 "Where are you?" Holly asked.

 

 "Oh, I'm just driving to the grocery store. Did you need anything?"

 

 "No, I'm good, thanks."

 

 "Aight, bye baby."

 

 "Bye," She smiled as she hung up.

 

 Remembering she forgot to return Cam's car, she lightly slapped herself for forgetting and quickly ran out of the apartment. Holly didn't care that she was in her pajamas; she had to get there _fast_. Running down the stairs as fast as she could, she had a moment of her own parkour by holding on to the railing as she jumped on the other side of the double winder staircase. Even though this was so simple, she felt a rush and laughed from the high she felt. She ran into the car and drove off to Cam's house (she only had a permit and no licence, but the police wouldn't know that!), playing her Die Antwoord album as she sung along. She never admitted her Die Antwoord obsession since everyone thought they were eerie and tasteless, but she couldn't help but love their music style.

 

 ---

 

 When Holly knocked on Cameron's door, it seemed that who Holly expected to answer it wasn't there.

 

 The person who answered the door was rather Jack J, who kindly welcomed Holly into the apartment. She walked in, thanked him, and asked him where Cameron was. She wasn't really expecting to see Jack, and since she didn't know him as well she didn't really know what to talk about.

 

 "Cam needed someone to watch Sierra and Sky's at the mall with her friends," Jack J said.

 

 "Oh, that's great," Holly replied. "Well, I only came to say that I dropped off Cam's car. Could you please tell him when he gets back?"

 

 "Sure."

 

 "Thanks. I better go now, bye J-"

 

 Before Holly could reach the door knob, Jack J grabbed her arm and made a psychotic chuckle. Holly laughed at him, unsure if he was faking it or not.

 

 "Just wait, I wanted to talk to you while you were here," Jack J widely smirked with crazy eyes.

 

 Holly continued to nervously laugh at him as Jack led her to the couch, sitting her down with him. His face was now back to normal, and he looked way too neutral compared to how he was previously acting.

 

 "So what's up?" Holly forged a smile.

 

 "Well, I wanted to confront you about what happened a while back," Jack J began. "I'm pretty sure you won't be afraid to tell me the truth, right?"

 

 She gulped.

 

 "Perfect!" He settled with no answer. 

 

 Her eyes widened.

 

 "Anyway, have you ever known a boy named Jeff Johnson?" He asked.

 

 She was about to get off the couch until Jack stopped her.

 

 "Hold still, Holly!" Jack J said as if he were talking to a small child. "It is  _my_ turn to talk! What did your daddy teach you? He wouldn't want you acting like this!"  _  
_

 

 "Don't degrade me," She snarled.

 

 "I'm not degrading you! I'm simply saying your mom and dad did a bad job at teaching you how to control yourself,  _especially when it comes to TRYING TO STOP YOURSELF FROM MURDERING SOMEONE'S DAD!"_

 

Holly held him down on the couch and restrained him, her hand trained on his neck in case she wanted to choke him. She felt an overwhelming sensation of psychotic happiness, finally feeling dominant for the first time in her life. She was so used to being the one attacked that it felt amazing to finally be the one attacking. Now she was top dog and it aroused her in every way.

 

 "HOW DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT?!" She raged.

 

 "I-I-I-I'M HIS BROTHER!" Jack growled as he gained enough strength to push her down, get on top and hold her down. 

 

 "YOU'RE JEFF'S BROTHER?! THEN WHY DID YOU HAVE TO BE FAKE THIS WHOLE TIME AND ACT LIKE YOU LIKED ME!"

 

 "I WANTED TO WAIT TO BE ALONE SO I COULD FINALLY GET MY HANDS ON YOU!"

 

 "YOU CAN'T HURT ME, YOU'RE NO STRONGER THAN ME!"

 

 Holly had a moment of regaining strength and pushing herself up, but to no avail Jack pushed her back down. He held back her hands with one hand, using the other to pull up her shirt. He shoved his face in her stomach, feeling her warmth as he trailed up to her breasts and then to her neck. Once she felt his lips on her breasts as his face trailed up, she used all her might to jump out of his grip and run out the door. Right before she could reach the elevator, Jack ran in and grabbed her by the hips, carrying her bridal-style as he ran back to Cameron's bedroom, threw Holly on the bed and locked the door. Sierra was heard in her room making loud noises with her toys, only adding to the multiple reasons why Holly wanted to get out of there.

 

 "Why would you do that?!" Holly cried. "You know that is sexual assault! ANY idiot would know that! You're a monster!"

 

 Jack sat on the bed with her and embraced her, massaging her thigh when she pushed him back and struggled to hold in her tears.

 

 "I'm sorry, I just let the worst side of myself come out!" Jack claimed. "I've never dominated someone like that in my whole life. I was so used to being pushed around that it felt good to hold someone down and be the one doing the hurt. You wouldn't understand!"

 

 "I'M A PERSON, JACK! I'M NOT A PERSON YOU CAN PUSH AROUND WHEN OTHER PEOPLE HAVE HURT YOU!" Holly cried, having a small flashback of the sensation she felt when she dominated him. It didn't excuse what he did, but it definitely made him understand why he did it. "BESIDES, I DO UNDERSTAND! I FELT IT WHEN I GOT ON TOP OF YOU!"

 

 "Sweetie, it was a mistake. I'm sorry!"

 

 "DON'T CALL ME THAT, 'SWEETIE'! YOU CAN'T APOLOGIZE FOR SCREAMING IN MY FACE AND THEN LIFTING MY SHIRT! THAT'S FUCKED UP!"

 

 Jack was still lying next to her as she boiled in rage, her mild tears soon turning back into burning anger. Her face was becoming more pink when she jumped up and began kicking Jack in the stomach, Jack unable to move and feeling sharp and quick pains. Soon enough, he got up and held her legs, making her fall over backwards. He sat on her stomach, his eyes tearing up from the pain he felt after being kicked in the stomach. The room was silent for a moment as Holly was breathing heavily, their eyes locked on each other. 

 

 "I hate you," Holly gave a sadistic smile.

 

 "I hate you too," Jack smirked back as he ripped off her pajama shorts and shirt. 

 

 Holly screamed as he quickly slipped out of his shorts and threw his boxers in her face. She grabbed the boxers and threw them back at him, her eyes widening once she got a glimpse at his big dick. 

 

 "Do you really?" Holly asked. She was filled with so many mixed emotions at this point (as was Jack). Neither of them knew what they were doing.

 

 "No," Jack admitted.

 

 "Please get off me, then."

 

 Jack smirked, groping her breasts with his big hands as she tried to put them off, but to no effect. The only thing that it really did was begin to turn her on, making this situation all the more fucked up. Feeling his warm, strong arms made her have even more mixed emotions. Was it sexual assault if she liked it? This was attacking her as Jack continued grabbing her breasts, licking and playing with them as he began rubbing his crotch against her's. Holly didn't want to like it, but she did. She couldn't tell if it was real rape since real, actual rape would feel terrible, but the meaning behind their sexual rendezvous was pretty horrendous. Soon enough, Jack got hard and shoved his dick in Holly's mouth, thrusting it back and forth as she sat there not knowing what to do.

 

 Never tasting a dick in her life before then, she didn't like the taste at all. She spit it out and scooched away from Jack, so he held her shoulders firmly and shoved his dick in her. Holly was turned on, but not nearly wet enough to handle being penetrated yet. She began screaming for him to stop, but Jack continued to thrust with a sadistic grin on his face. This was when Holly had to stop doubting herself and knew it was rape. _You're so dumb, how could this not be rape?!_ Holly thought once she felt the first thrust. He would only thrust faster and faster, leaving Holly to only scream and cry for help as tears streamed down her cheeks. 

 

 Holly's mind was empty at this point. She didn't know what to think as Jack penetrated her, leaving her to feel like a violated pile of garbage. It made her feel like she was only a disgusting scum for piggish men to look at, not a real person with a mind and complicated emotions.

 

 Jack continued to maliciously thrust his cock in her until Cameron came bursting in the door. Jack pulled out and covered his crotch as he ran out, Cam chasing after him like a mad man and beating him with the water bottle that was in his hand. Jack ran into an elevator before Cameron could get in, so as the doors shut Cameron yelled, "I WILL GET BACK AT YOU, JACKASS!"

 

 Holly was left lying on the bed in tears. Cameron ran back in to her rescue and scooped her up, patting her back and trying to help sooth her.

 

 "Holly, did he rape you?!" Cam cried.

 

 Holly was sobbing as she weakly nodded her head "yes", Cam sympathizing for her as he tried to comfort her and see what happened. He patted her back and gave her a hug, Holly pushing him back as she ran to the corner of the room to sulk in the darkness of her palms, covering her face as she wept. When Cam ran after her for her aid, she held up her hand as a signal that she wanted to be alone, so with a sad face he got up and turned away as he listened to her crying. He stood there for a good moment as he wondered what the hell went down while he was gone, trying to put himself in her shoes so he could empathize. 

 

 "Please tell me what happened!" Cam frowned.

 

 "I need a moment!" She whimpered.

 

 "Do you wanna be left alone for a couple of minutes?"

 

 "Yeah."

 

 Cameron walked out of the room quietly as he listened to her tears, closing the door behind him with a veil of sadness as he stood there for a moment. He frowned, looking down at the ground, wishing he could turn back time and stop Jack from staying at his house. Cam at no idea that this would come out of Jack... This was the  _last_ thing one would expect from him! He did something so evil and unfathomable that not even a guy as good as Cam could forgive him for this. 

 

 Searching for answers, he called Jack G. He waited a moment until Jack G finally answered.

 

 "Hello?" Jack G answered, raising a brow as he heard sounds in the background of the other end.

 

 "Hey, it's me," Cam sighed. "Listen, I need your help."

 

 "Yeah, what's wrong? AND WHAT ARE THOSE SOUNDS IN THE BACKGROUND?!"

 

 "Holly. She got raped."

 

 Jack G gasped.

 

 "Oh no!" He said. "WHO THE HELL DID IT?! I'LL KILL HIM!"

 

 "You're not gonna believe me if I tell you," Cam replied boldly. 

 

 "Who was it? WHO WAS IT?! DO YOU KNOW HIS NAME?!"

 

 Cam was silent for a moment to convey meaning.

 

 "It was Jack," Cam finally replied.

 

 Jack G gasped even louder this time.

 

 "It can't be!" He cried. "You're  _lying!_ "

 

 "No, I'm not. Ask Holly."

 

 Cam heard Jack G throw something in the background, so he knew that it hit him hard.

 

 "CAM, JACK RAPED ME TOO!" Jack lied with a sudden surge of tears. "THE FIRST TIME WE MOVED IN HE RAPED ME, AND THEN WE BEGAN TO HAVE CONSENSUAL SEX AFTER THAT! IT FUCKED ME UP SO BAD, THAT I FEEL LIKE I CAN'T SAY NO WHEN HE ASKS TO HAVE SEX! I FEEL LIKE I LOVE HIM BUT I ALSO REALLY DON'T!"

 

 Jack G began to cry a whole ocean on the phone after he gave his shocking confession, and now Cameron was left with two victims to help. Well, Cameron didn't know that Jack G wasn't telling the truth. Jack G only said this so Holly could have someone to talk to, and at the time he didn't realize how serious this was. He was so hurt that Holly got hurt that he didn't want to seem selfish, so he made up his own story to cover up. He didn't know what he was doing but it was definitely a big mistake.

 

 "Jack, come over here," Cameron said after a moment. "I think that Holly could really use your help."

 

 When Cameron hung up, he walked back into the room and saw Holly still sulking in the corner. She hadn't changed back into her old clothes, her bare-naked body exposed without her really caring. She already felt so exploited that nothing mattered anymore.

 

 Trying to figure out a good simple first step to help partially heal her for at least a moment, he got out an over-sized teal shirt and black basketball shorts from his closet. He tapped her shoulder, handed them to her and asked her to put it on. She nodded as Cam held out his hand for her to take. Taking his hand to help her stand back up, she looked into him with misty eyes and smiled amidst the tears, giving him a warm hug as a thank you. He smiled and held her tight to make her feel protected, knowing that she felt too violated to want to be dominated. He made sure to let her know just from that simple hug that it was an act of love and protection, not hatred and domination. She felt his love, of course not patching up the wounds but helping her feel somewhat better in that moment. Walking to the other side of the room, she changed into the shirt and pants he gave her. The outfit was all the more better since it felt warm from his skin, and the best part about it was that it was _his._

 

 There was a soft knock on the door. Cam's head jerked to the door as he opened it for Jack G to come in.

 

 "Holly, I asked Jack G to come over so he could talk to you," Cam announced with a relaxed tone.

 

 "Shit, I don't need more people in this situation!" She sniffed.

 

 "No, it's okay!" Jack G soothed her, looking her deep in the eyes once he walked in the room. "It's okay because  _I've been raped too._ "

 

 Holly froze.

 

 "By _Jack Johnson,_ " He finished.

 

 ---

 

 Jack G and Holly talked about their experiences of rape, truly empathizing for each other since only a victim would understand. Cam was in the living room, pretending to watch TV but really listening in on their conversation. He felt so bad that he didn't even ask how she got there, until he abruptly remembered seeing his car in the parking lot.  _SHIT, THIS IS ALL MY FAULT!_ He thought as he felt himself begin to fume.  _WHAT WAS THE POINT OF LETTING HER BORROW MY CAR ANYWAY?! ALL I DID WAS USE TAXIS FOR THE WHOLE WEEK!_

 

The two continued to speak in Cam's bedroom, never able to stress enough how fucked up their situations were. Rape had to be the most scaring thing that happened to them. Rape was the most evil thing someone could do to someone else. It was easy for anyone to agree with these statements, but they have a whole other spiritual meaning if you've actually been raped by someone. 

 

 Before wrapping up their conversation, Holly asked what she believed was the most important question of all.

 

 "How did you block out the memory?" Holly asked. "I don't mean forever, even though that'd be perfect. I mean just for a few days, or even only one day."

 

 "Well, there is one thing that really helps," Jack G replied as he got up to go through Cam's mini fridge next to his bed. Jack looked through it for a second until he finally whipped out a bottle of vodka.

 

 "GETTING DRUNK?!" Holly shouted.

 

 "It's bad but it helps," Jack explained.

 

 Sighing, she held out her hand to take it. Jack opened it and then gave it to her. She sat nervously for a minute as she held it in her palm, nervously giggling.

 

 "This is the first time I've ever done this," She said.

 

 "Go ahead," He insisted. "If you throw up I'm here."

 

 Shaking with her fingers gripping the bottle, she finally worked up the courage to take a swig of vodka and chug it. Jack G quickly regretted doing this, realizing this could lead to a long, terrible life of addiction. Soon enough, there was too much alcohol for her to handle in her system and she passed out. He made her sleep on her side so she wouldn't choke on her vomit in case she threw up, holding her in his arms like she was a lover. It almost felt like she was dead, which added a very creepy aura to it. But nonetheless, Holly was blacked-out and wouldn't remembering anything by the time she woke up --- if she did.


	25. Chapter 25

"Is she dead?" A familiar voice said.  
  
 "No, she's just in a deep sleep," Jack G replied. "She was really tired."  
  
 Holly slowly woke up to these words. Once she opened her eyes after repeatedly blinking, she rubbed them and rose out of the covers to see where the voices were coming from. She didn't remember a thing that had happened before she fell asleep, but she was feeling so crappy that she didn't wanna know what happened. Tasting the alcohol that poisoned her breath was enough for her to know some fucked up shit happened before drifting off into a deep sleep.  
  
 When she rose up, she saw Shawn Mendes and Jack Gilinsky standing next to each other, Jack with his hands in his pockets and Shawn with his arms crossed as they watched her. Once they saw her get up, they smiled brightly and hoped they hadn't heard their little conversation. Before she woke up, Jack was telling Shawn about the rape and how she get really drunk. Shawn said that hopefully getting drunk would help block out the hideous memory, but neither were sure.  
  
 "Good morning!" They greeted almost too friendly.   
  
 "Did you sleep well?" Jack G asked.  
  
 "I guess," Holly gave a sleepy reply with a deeper voice, playing with her messed up hair. "I don't remember a thing before I fell asleep though. How'd I get here?"  
  
 Shawn and Jack tried to hide their happiness, and Shawn had to restrain himself from telling Jack he was right.  
  
 "You came here to say hi to Cam," Shawn lied. "You guys ended up having too much fun and got really drunk though. It's midnight so we thought we'd come and check up on you guys."  
  
 "Oh, great," Holly said. "Well, I feel like shit right now. Would Cam be okay with me staying the night here?"  
  
 "Of course," Shawn gave the most fake smile in the world, feeling his heart hurt since he told her a terrible lie. She just got raped and he tells her that?! The truth would come out eventually, but Shawn and Jack didn't want to tell her and make her upset. They didn't tell her since they cared.  
  
 "Hey, where is Cam?" She asked, soon falling on the floor. Jack picked her up and carried her bridal style to the bed.  
  
 "He slept on the couch to give you some room," Jack replied.  
  
 "Aw, that's sweet," Shawn gave a real smile this time. "He loves you a lot, you know. As a friend, of course."  
  
 "Really?" Holly beamed. "I love him too! A little more than a friend, I admit."  
  
 The boys grinned at each other and high-fived.  
  
 "What?" She asked, still drowsy.  
  
 "Nothing, we just knew it," Shawn replied.  
  
 "Shawn, I don't mean to be rude, but where the hell did you come from? And most of all, how did you know what was going on in order for you to come to that conclusion?"  
  
 "Well, I live in New York so I haven't really met you yet. Jack G and the boys always told me about you, so it felt like I was already part of the squad. They told me you already knew about me since you like Magcon, and that made me really happy since no one's cared about us for years."  
  
 "We haven't done Magcon in over a decade!" Jack added. "He was more than happy to hear someone actually still liked us!"  
  
 "Of course I do," Holly said as she rubbed her eyes. "It's old but it's classic."  
  
 "Vine?"  
  
 "No, you guys. The friendships you created, how you got famous simply from doing what you love. Even if it was making little six second videos, it was something you were passionate about and didn't do for the fame. I love how you just did it for fun and it turned into something big. That's all so romantic to me."  
  
 The boys smiled at her little spill of philosophy, especially while she was having a raging hangover.  
  
 Suddenly, she clenched her fist and hit her forehead.  
  
 "I have a raging headache!" Holly whined. "Please go get me pills!"  
  
 "That's all part of being drunk!" Shawn chirped sarcastically as he strolled to the kitchen. Jack walked over to her side of the bed and sat beside her.  
  
 "Hey, I'm sorry you're feeling sick," He comforted her, caressing her cheek sweetly. "Don't worry, hangovers only last for a day. Just rest a lot and promise yourself you won't ever get drunk again."  
  
 "PFFT! I don't really care about the future when I feel sick as fuck!" She replied. "But thanks, Jack. I love when you do that?"  
  
 "Do what?"  
  
 "Check up on me, ya know? It makes me feel loved."  
  
 He smiled and kissed her on the cheek, leaving her groggy face with a smile.  
  
 Shawn walked in with headache pills in his hand with a glass of water. Holly thanked him as he handed her the pills and the water, swallowing the pills and water as quickly as possible.   
  
 "Shawn, Jack, please make sure I never drink again," She whined.  
  
 They chuckled.  
  
 "Sure thing," Jack said.  
  
 "We're gonna have to watch over you, you're bad!" Shawn joked.  
  
 Holly gave a dizzy nod when she soon fell into another deep sleep. The boys grinned and nodded since they could tell how exhausted she was.  
  
 "So good, so innocent," Shawn awed.   
  
 "I know, she's adorable," Jack gushed. "She's my most adorable friend."  
  
 "Yeah, I can tell."  
  
 The boys walked out and made sure to be quiet when they closed the door.  
  
 "We don't wanna wake Sleeping Beauty!" Jack explained. Shawn chuckled, waking up Cam.  
  
 "Rise and shine!" Shawn and Jack beamed once Cam finally opened his eyes.  
  
 Cam let out a loud yawn as he stretched.   
  
 "You guys are still here?" Cam smiled as he finished stretching, rising from the couch.  
  
 "Yep," Shawn said.   
  
 "Wait, how did Shawn get here?"  
  
 "He came here a few hours ago," Jack explained. "His plane had just got here and he said he was staying with you."  
  
 "Oh yeah, that's right!" Cam said as he made himself a cup of coffee. "I'm sorry, I totally forgot! Make yourself at home! Is Holly still here?"  
  
 "Yeah, she's sleeping," Shawn said. "She woke up for a minute and felt sick. She said she got drunk last night and doesn't remember anything that happened before she fell asleep, not even the rape."  
  
 "Damn!" Cam gasped. "Did you tell her?"  
  
 " _No,"_ Jack sharply replied. "She doesn't know and she never will!"  
  
 "JACK! Of course you can't tell her yet, but she has to know  _some_ time!" Cam scowled.  
  
 "Why should she know?!" Shawn asked. "It will ruin her life! The fact that it happened is fucked up enough!"  
  
 "Be _cause,_ the next time she sees Jack J she's gonna think they're still friends and he's gonna go along with it. Plus, if she doesn't take him to court, there is gonna be a rampant rapist running around that got away with doing one of the most  _evil_ things in the world to her!"  
  
 The boys were silent for a good moment until Jack finally spoke up.  
  
 "We could sue him for raping me!" Jack said.   
  
 Cam sighed.  
  
 "Holly doesn't even have a lawyer!" Jack defended his point. "Besides, we wouldn't have to fabricate any lies! Holly wouldn't know about the rape and Jack would still be in trouble!"  
  
 "That's perfect!" Shawn beamed until he realized what Jack said, making a sour face. "Wait, Jack  _raped_ you?"  
  
 Jack nodded, his face beginning to harden as he tried to wave off the memory.  
  
 "Oh Jack!" Shawn gasped. "That's awful! If we don't sue him then he's only gonna hurt more people! Why didn't you tell anyone?"  
  
 At this question, Jack looked at Cam as if he was on The Office making a face at the camera.  
  
 "It isn't that easy," Cam explained, reading Jack's expression. "It is a really hard thing to deal with, and it makes you feel so disgusting and so unworthy of love that you don't wanna tell anyone. You feel like if you tell anyone then they'll think that you're dirty."  
  
 Shawn slowly nodded at this, not truly taking it in since he didn't wanna picture poor Jack or Holly having these feelings about them. He really cared about Jack and wanted to think of him as this bright, happy person all the time, but there were also people that thought this about him, and people that thought this about those people, and really we all have to accept that bad things happen to everyone no matter how loved they are.  
  
 "I see," Shawn replied. "That's really terrible."  
  
 "It is," Jack confirmed, "And I really don't wanna talk about it. I don't mean to sound -- ya know -- like I'm faking it, or like I'm a whiny teenage girl, but it really is the worst feeling in the world and gives me ugly flashbacks. It's awful. I try to block it out, and most of the things about it I have blocked out."  
  
 Jack tried waving it off so he wouldn't cry like a baby in front of his friends, but Shawn and Cam could see the pain on his face. They could tell it was a lot to handle.   
  
 "It's really evil," Cam stressed. "And it is never the victim's fault."  
  
 "It really is," Shawn replied. "I don't mean to make it seem like Jack's story doesn't matter, because it really does and I care a lot, but it makes me pray that Jack J didn't get Holly pregnant."  
  
 Jack G gasped at this.  
  
 "SHIT!" Jack cried.  
  
 "He didn't," Cam said. "He didn't ejaculate until he ran out of the room. She was lucky that right when he came I found them."  
  
 "That must have been a scary scene to walk into," Shawn said.  
  
 Cam nodded with wide eyes.  
  
 "Uh, YEAH!" Cam emphasized. "I couldn't believe it, I really couldn't! I swear to God I never wanna see something like that ever again in my life! It made me start to worry that it could happen to my poor little Sierra, or even  _me!_ But I mostly worry about it happening to her; she's my whole world! If it happened to her I wouldn't give him any mercy when I murdered him."  
  
 "That's probably how Holly's parents would feel if they knew," Shawn said.  
  
 Jack shook his head as he felt his heart sting.  
  
 "What?!" Shawn was shocked.  
  
 "Her parents are awful," Jack explained. "They're abusive. Hayes told me about it."  
  
 "That's terrible! She should live with one of us and stay away from that situation!"  
  
 "Yeah... They're verbally abusive and it has fucked her up pretty bad. I hate to say it since she's such a great girl and I don't even wanna think of the things they say to her, but that's just the way it is."  
  
 Shawn sighed.  
  
 "So much has happened and I just got here!" He said. "If she ever needs anyone --- if  _any_ of you ever need me --- I don't care if I'm living in New York or Spain or China or even Zimbabwe! If you ever need me, I'll be there for you."  
  
 "Thanks, bud," Cam smiled. "I love how we can all say that stuff without fussing about masculinity."  
  
 "Me too," Cam and Shawn said in unison.  
  
 The boys all sat together on the couch and hung out, just casually talking as if they weren't just getting into really deep shit. The whole time, Jack was contemplating in his head whether or not he should tell Hayes what happened. If Hayes found out he would go insane, and knowing how bad Hayes was hurt from being chased by the Panthers he knew the poor guy couldn't take it. Jack could really relate to Holly since they both went through the same thing, and it was a feeling only those who had gone through it could truly feel. It felt good to not be alone. All of the boys knowing about it actually helped him more than he thought, and it made him start to wonder if telling Holly would help her like it helped Jack. Letting it out felt good since he no longer had to keep such an ugly secret, so maybe telling her wouldn't be so bad. He wasn't so sure as to how he reacted, so he ended up deciding that he would stay silent. But would doing this help or would it end up hurting her?


	26. Chapter 26

 

 

 

Hayes was out in a Los Angeles Starbucks, casually sipping a frap to bring back memories from Chicago. He didn't want to admit it, but he wanted to go back to the days when he was in a modest motel and didn't live in so much luxury. Of course it was nice to live the high life, and as a matter of fact he tried not to take it for granted, but it was a better time since his life was more simple. It made him realize that all he wanted was a simple life, not live the life of a criminal. It made him realize that being a gangster wasn't really all that great. 

 

 

 As he sipped his frap, looking outside the window of the busy Starbucks he was sitting in, he noticed these guys in suits. He jumped up in panic and ran to another empty table, embarrassed and trying to act casual once he realized some people around him were giving dirty looks. The guys in the suits were not from The Pink Panthers, but Hayes knew they were in some kind of mafia. They looked too classy to be a gang, but they were also too sketchy to just be wealthy guys strolling along in LA. 

 

 Nash was supposed to be meeting him there that morning, but he was nowhere in sight.  _Whatever_ , Hayes thought.  _He's obviously busy doing Nash things... I guess this gives me time to do gangster things... Hayes things._

 

 He waited a minute before stepping outside when he finished his frap, contemplating whether or not the mobsters would recognize him. Hayes hadn't recognized a single one of them, but one never knows if they could be a friend of a friend of Cig or one of the other Panthers. Besides, even a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend could be a risk. Sick of the foolishness, he just threw out the frap and casually walked out the door. If he  _acted_  like there was nothing to be afraid of, then there  _was_  nothing to be afraid of. 

 

 After being outside for a minute, looking around to see if the coast was clear, he let out a sigh of relief when he lost sight of the men. Unfortunately, and rather ironically, the men all ran out and grabbed him. They all carried him to a nearby alleyway while he struggled to leave their grip, surprised at how fit and muscular they were.  _HOW MANY STEROID OVERDOSES DOES IT TAKE TO GET THAT MUSCULAR?!_   He thought. 

 

 One of the men shot Hayes in the shoulder. Blood spilled out as he gripped the wound and howled in pain. 

 

 "PUSSY BITCH!" Another man hollered. 

 

 "Listen up, bud," One of the men said as he slowly paced back and forth, still locking his fierce eyes on Hayes. Hayes assumed this was the main guy. "Don't even think we don't know who  _you_  are. And don't get too cocky either, because you aren't the main bitch running these streets."

 

 Hayes gulped. He tried to muster the most serious and tough expression he could make, but the other men laughed at him as the main man continued his lecture. 

 

 "We know you because of The Pink Panthers," The main man said. "Cig told us he had some unfinished business with you, and we decided to help him out. You think that you're all that, working 'independently' as you say. Well listen,  _bub_ : Mafias are not independent. They are organized groups. If anything, you're a dumb wannabe gangster. Stay in your place and show some respect to the  _real_  mobsters."

 

 There were some passer-byers that were watching as they walked by the buildings, so the men all pointed their guns at them so they'd run away. The pedestrians soon realized who they were dealing with and ran away, too scared out of their minds to even think of calling the police. 

 

 "The real mobsters?!" Hayes mocked. "Huh, the real mobsters must be some chumps since I'm the one doing all the serious crimes. Maybe I'm independent because I alone am more powerful than  _all_  your men."

 

 The men let out a hearty laugh. 

 

 "If you think you're so great, then how come I've never heard of you before this?" Hayes retorted. "If I'm so irrelevant, then how come I've made a name for myself and you haven't?"

 

 The men were left silent at this. 

 

 "Get him," the main man snarled. 

 

 Hayes pulled out his gun and pointed it at them. 

 

 "Not so fast," Hayes smirked. "I can take you all down with just a few bullets."

 

 "You and one army!"

 

 Hayes pulled out a second gun from his other pocket, pointing them both at the men. 

 

 "Please, I'm not stupid!" Hayes added. 

 

 The men were still completely silent. 

 

 "What makes you think  _that_?" The main man challenge. 

 

 Hayes raised a brow. 

 

 "Are you doubting me?" Hayes replied. 

 

 "The real question is if you're wasting my time," The man snapped back. 

 

 Hayes smirked even wider. 

 

 "Then why don't you just shut up and kill me?" Hayes challenged back. 

 

 There was a brief pause before the main man held up his gun, but before he could even rest his finger on the trigger, Hayes was shooting him non-stop like there was no tomorrow. Once the main man fell dead to the ground, flailing his dead arms as he fell, his eyes flittering, the other men knew who they were dealing with. They all charged after Hayes as he ran for his life, Hayes running into a crowded public area so he could find someone to stop them. A taxi pulled up and he dashed in the car without question, slamming the door before the men could stop him. Hayes handed twenty dollars to the taxi and demanded to be taken anywhere, so off the taxi drove. Suddenly, bullets were being shot at the taxi windows when Hayes ducked and tried to dodge the broken glass. The driver, not being very intelligent in the first place, slammed the gas pedal and ran through the heavy Los Angeles traffic. When Hayes stopped ducking and looked out the window, he saw police cars chasing after the men. Knowing that a taxi wasn't the answer since the traffic wouldn't allow it to move any quicker, he swung open the door in the middle of driving and jumped out. 

 

 He ran for his life back to his house, breathing heavily once he finally reached the steps and jammed his keys into the keyhole of the door. His heart was thumping so fast in his chest, soon realizing that they'd tell the cops about the murder of their main man. 

 

  _Shit_ , Hayes thought.  _What am I gonna do?_

  
Although the life of a gangster is mostly about not getting caught, Hayes was always too arrogant to even think he would get caught. He was so convinced that he was "too good" to get caught. Now that the police were actually involved it felt unreal to him. 

 

 Not knowing what to do, he called Nash for some advice. 

 

 "Hello?" Nash asked after a few rings. 

 

 "Nash, I need your help," Hayes stressed. 

 

 "Dude, are you okay? You sound hella scared. Did something happen?"

 

 "Yes. Listen, I just killed a guy-"

 

 "YOU WHAT?!"

 

 "I'm sorry, I'm going too fast-- I ran into these other mafia guys and they were gonna kill me, so I killed their main guy and ran off. Then the police started chasing after them and I'm afraid they're gonna tell the cops I killed their guy."

 

 "Well shit... They probably won't tell the cops since they don't want them to know they're in the mafia." Nash said. 

 

 "Yes, but they can twist up the story and simply say I murdered their friend!" Hayes pointed out. 

 

 "... Uh, very true..."

 

 "So what do I do?"

 

 Nash sighed. 

 

 "Hayes," Nash began. "There comes a time in every man's life where all he can do is  _run_. Sure, you already did that in Chicago, but this is time for your  _real_  escape. This is the real adventure you're gonna go on, and you gotta go any place you can. Due to the heat of the situation, I would suggest just going alone. Don't bring one of the guys or Holly--- that would be too much."

 

 Hayes nodded as Nash said this. 

 

 "You're right," Hayes said, quickly grabbing his suitcase from under his bed. He began hauling out some clothes and throwing them in, aimlessly searching for anything he could possibly need on a trip. Remembering the talk he had with Cameron a few weeks before about traveling outside the country, he decided that was exactly what he had to do. 

 

 "I gotta go, Nash!" Hayes announced. "I'm on a mission!" 

 

 He hung up and zipped up his suitcase, bolting out and running to his car to get to the airport. 

 


	27. Chapter 27

Hayes was scrambling in the airport, searching for flights that would take off in the next few hours. He was looking for some foreign city names as he searched the list, people bustling by with their luggage and big families. "Somewhere that speaks English, somewhere that speaks English," Hayes whispered to himself as he read down the list. There were mostly flights to cities in America, the only foreign flights being to Amsterdam, Cairo, and Madrid.  _Well, I do know Spanish, but it's a bit dusty..._  He thought, taking out his credit card once he realized it was the cheapest foreign flight. _A little trip to Spain wouldn't kill me. Besides, I've always wanted to go. It wouldn't hurt to meet some cute girls too._

 

 ---  
  
 Madison Beer was sitting in the Jack and Jack -- well, now only Jack G's -- living room watching TV. Jack G was in the basement having a long talk with Jack J regarding Holly's rape, and Madison wanted nothing to do with "the mess" so she let them do their thing. She barely knew Holly, especially because of how Jack G talked about her. Whenever she was brought up, it sounded like he was censoring himself so much that sometimes it all sounded like straight-up lies.  
  
  _Is he cheating on me?_ She thought. He left his phone on the coffee table in front of her, so why not snoop?  
  
 She unlocked his phone after multiple failed tries and scanned through his contacts until she found Holly's name. She flipped through his messages, reading all the conversations they had, most of them being typical friend conversations (despite the strange sense of humor Jack G and Holly both had, which most people liked but it made Madison uncomfortable). Reading through the texts with a disgusted face, she eventually found what she was looking for after scrolling through for a million centuries.  
  
 August 18th 8:49 AM  
  
 "That was so much fun last night!" Holly texted.  
  
 "Yeah, it was," Jack replied. "I liked our one-on-one."  
  
 "Same. Thank you btw."  
  
 "No problem! I hated seeing you sad. I hate seeing anyone sad, but seeing you sad made me even more upset. You've always been a little bit more than a friend to me."  
  
  _'I hate seeing anyone sad'. Why would he say that? No shit, Sherlock!_ Madison thought as she rolled her eyes at the screen.  
  
 "Really? Aw you're so sweet!" Holly said.  
  
 "I mean it," Jack texted back. "I really do."  
  
 "To be honest, I feel the same way about you. I know it hasn't been that long but I really feel something."  
  
 "I do too! I don't care if it has been two months, two years or even two days... I feel a connection with you that I don't have with anyone else."  
  
 "Really?"  
  
 "Yeah."  
  
_You don't even know what a connection is!_ Madison thought.  
  
 "So I have a confession to make..." Jack texted.  
  
 "?" Holly replied.  
  
 "Well it's kinda obvious by now."  
  
 "Yeah?"  
  
  _Jeesh, I feel like I'm reading a draft of a cheap 80's chick flick,_ Madison thought.  _Did he talk to me this way when we first started dating?  
  
 _ "I like you a lot, Holly," Jack began. "As I said before, I've always felt a deep connection with you. We just clicked in a way that I can't explain... You know when you first meet someone and you just wanna be their friend? You have a friend crush for them, and then you actually become their friend and start having more of an actual crush on them? That's what happened to me when we met. At first I just wanted to be your friend, and now I wanna be more than that."  
  
 "But what about Madison?!" Holly replied.  
  
 "You're smart," Madison said out loud as she continued reading.  
  
 "I broke up with her," Jack lied. "She doesn't matter anymore."  
  
 "I dunno... I have feelings for you, but I'm not ready to start something new yet." Holly said.  
  
 "But remember when you told me about how you think you're gonna never have a boyfriend?  _I_ can be that boyfriend! I can be your first boyfriend. I wanna be the first guy to love you, to kiss you, to cuddle you, to do all the things that couples do. I wanna be the first."  
  
 Madison could tell this was when Holly paused for a moment.  
  
 "I want that too," Holly replied. "But I'm just not ready yet. I want my first relationship to be with someone I've been good friends with for a long time. It's weird if it is only a romantic relationship and it isn't a friendship at all. Boyfriends are called boyfriends because they are your friend and your lover, not just a lover. I think that if we started something now, you'd only be a lover, and I just don't think it would work."  
  
 "I understand," Jack replied.   
  
 Madison was fuming at this point, shaking as she continued to scroll through the conversation. She was infuriated that he would even  _think_ of cheating on him, but at the same time she realized she was being a hypocrite since she was having an affair with Sam. She knew he was married to some girl with a weird name, but Madison didn't care. Madison believed she was so much better than the other woman that her feelings didn't matter. Since she knew things were not going to work out with Jack, after all the countless fights they had in the past, she planned on stealing Sam from Mirjeta and marrying Sam. It was such an insane idea that Madison even thought of names for their children: Cody and Elle.   
  
 "Cody would be, like, three years older than Elle!" She often said to Sam whenever it came up in conversation.  
  
 "What if Mirjeta found out?" Sam would always ask.  
  
 "Who says she's gonna find out? She doesn't know who I am, so it's all good!"  
  
 Anyway, Madison decided she had read enough of these texts and thought it was about time to actually confront Jack.   
  
 Running down the staircase, she found Jack and Jack in the middle of a heated fight. Jack Johnson was slapping Gilinsky as Gilinsky fought back, shouting at him about how he "had to man up" and "face what he did".  _I came at the right time,_ Madison thought with a smirk.  
  
 "JACK!" She shouted in the midst of the chaos.  
  
 The boys put an abrupt halt to their fight and got off each other, acting as if nothing had happened. Jack G, however, wasn't shy to have a disgusted look on his face as he eyed Jack J for a moment.   
  
 "Jack, I need to tell you something," She said, acting as if she was really upset.  
  
 "Aw, baby, what is it?" He awed, walking over to her and embracing her sympathetically.   
  
 She was silent for a moment, continuing her act for a good moment until she eventually broke free of his embrace, slamming Jack G to the ground.  
  
 "YOU CHEATED ON ME!" She shrieked maniacally. "I READ YOUR TEXTS WITH HOLLY!"  
  
 "WHAT?!" He shouted, forcing himself up. He restrained her against the wall to stop her from doing anything else violent.  
  
 "I - SAID - YOU - CHEATED ON ME!" Madison shouted even louder as she struggled out of his restraint on every pause.  
  
 "Look, I'm really sorry! You know I love you, but we've been fighting a lot and I just needed someone to talk to! We-"  
  
 "NO! NO 'WE'! I'M FUCKING  _DONE_ WITH YOU!"  
  
 Madison grabbed his neck and pushed him down, jolting his body as he struggled to leave her hard grasp. Without hesitation, she began strangling him with as much might as she could muster. She used as much strength in the heat of the moment than she ever had before, but she was too busy trying to choke him that she didn't have time to be prideful. Unsure of whether or not she wanted to kill him or simply make him pass out, she just went with it and had her way with him.  
  
 ---  
  
 Hayes was sleeping on the plane when he suddenly got a phone call. Disturbed by the sudden interruption, he was a bit snappy when he answered it until he realized it was Jack Johnson. There was screaming and yelling in the background so he knew something wasn't right.  
  
 "Hello?" Hayes almost snapped.  
  
 "Hi Hayes," Jack J said.  
  
 "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound rude. I just woke up from a nap and ---"  
  
 "It's all good. But listen, I gotta tell you something."  
  
 "Yeah? Is it about the noises in the background, because it sounds a hell of a lot like somebody's in trouble."  
  
 "Uh, you're kinda right."  
  
 Hayes gulped.  
  
 "WHO IS IT?!" Hayes asked, trying not to yell from his immediate anticipation.  
  
 "Okay, it's Madison and Jack," Jack J replied as he walked up the stairs to the kitchen. "It's because Jack was cheating on Madison with some girl."  
  
 "Oh, do you know what the other girl's name was?"  
  
 Suddenly realizing that Hayes had a crush on Holly, Jack knew he couldn't tell Hayes the truth. Sighing, he tried thinking of a girl that would be the perfect candidate, not realizing he made a big mistake once he said the name.  
  
 "It was Sky," Jack lied.  
  
 "WHAT?! THAT'S CRAZY!" Hayes replied. "SHE'S ONLY FOURTEEN! DOES NASH KNOW ABOUT THIS?! DOES WILL?!"  
  
 "No, so please don't tell him. Sky is really embarrassed and didn't want anyone to know."  
  
 "But Jack, she isn't even close to the age of consent! Nash has to know so we can beat Jack's ass for flirting with our sister!"  
  
 "Why would Nash do that? No one was forced into this relationship! Sky had a say! Don't act as if just because she's fourteen that she doesn't have a say in the relationship."  
  
 "But she isn't mature enough to make those kinds of big decisions! Jack was manipulating her and that's wrong! Look, if Sky doesn't want Nash to know, then that's fine  _for now,_ but the truth will come out some time!"  
  
 "Fine, just give her some space and don't ask her about it. I don't want her to know I told you or she'll never trust me again."  
  
 "See?! She shouldn't be embarrassed if she had full consent in the relationship!" Hayes pointed out. "She's only a kid! Jack is a disgusting human being for using her like that."  
  
 "Yeah, you're right," Jack admitted. "She isn't old enough to make smart decisions about that kind of stuff, but any idiot knows it's sick to date a guy that's 28 when you don't even have a driver's license."  
  
 "She's young, she's still learning."  
  
 "Yeah, but she's not  _that_ little that she doesn't have any common sense and is completely ignorant to the world. You know your sister, Hayes. She's smart."  
  
 "I know, but I'm trying to cut her some slack."  
  
 "Yeah... Hey, I better go check on Jack and Madison and make sure they don't kill each other. Gotta go."  
  
 Jack hung up the phone and ran downstairs, finding a dead Gilinsky fallen on the floor in the arms of Madison Beer. She held Jack like a trophy, grinning at his dead body like he was an old friend. Jack J stared at the sight, marveled but also appalled at what he was witnessing.  
  
 "How did you kill him?" He asked.  
  
 "I strangled him," Madison said.  
  
 Her good mood immediately turned sour in a flash when she ran up and grabbed him by his shirt.  
  
 "You better promise not to tell anyone or else I'll kill you even more painfully!" She threatened.  
  
 He nodded quickly, feeling shivers run down his spine as Madison removed her grasp and ran up the stairs. Jack gazed upon his fallen friend, slowly walking towards his corpse. This was when it hit him that his best friend for life was now gone forever. After all the good times they had together, after all the wonderful times they spent, Jack G was now  _gone._  
  
 Jack Johnson held the late Jack in his arms, tears streaming down his cheeks as more and more flashbacks played in his head like a sad movie. He was left sobbing uncontrollably, embracing his lifeless body as he begged for his friend to come back to life somehow. Jack didn't want to believe Gilinsky was dead, but unfortunately that was just how it ended up. Madison ended up going crazy over the years, all of it leading to the moment that destroyed Jack Johnson. Jack thought he would never be the same man again, his tears falling on Jack G's shirt. His friend since kindergarten, his best friend for life... Now he was  _gone._  
  
 Jack had no idea that Jack G had accused him of rape. The truth of the matter was that Jack G was 100% consensual the first time they had sex. Jack G began to fabricate this lie that he got raped so he wouldn't believe he cheated on Madison, a lie so serious and so big that Jack G didn't truly realize the heat of the subject. The main reason why Jack G said it was because he remembered promising Holly that she would never be raped, and he lied to him so much that he began to believe it and convinced himself it was true. A hell of a lot of convincing led to him truly feeling these terrible emotions he expressed to Holly shortly after her rape. If Jack J found this out, then he would be even more heartbroken. This was all too much to handle.   
  
 His best friend, his brother, and surprisingly... His lover: Jack Gilinsky.  
  
 "Rest in peace," Jack J sniffed.


	28. Chapter 28

 

 

Hayes was sitting in a cab, awestruck by the life of Madrid as he stared out the window. He had just gotten off the plane and was already amazed by the beauty of Spain. Passing by all the tall buildings, the old churches, and especially Plaza de Cibeles all felt so unreal. He wasn't a very emotional person, but he could feel himself about to cry at the beauty of it. Madrid was so magnificent that it was something unreal to him. He was there and he was living it. He was there to take it in and experience it.

 The cab driver looked back and smiled at Hayes' reaction, amazement written all over Hayes' face. 

 "Enjoying the view of the city?" The driver asked with a Jamaican accent.

 "Yes," Hayes replied, continuing to stare out the window. "It is so beautiful here! I've never been outside the country so it's like a whole 'nother world."

 "Where do you come from?"

 "America... I live in Los Angeles."

 "Oh, LA! Beautiful place I've never been... You must be a rich guy, then!"

 "No, no. I'm really not," Hayes chuckled.

 "Well, you'll definitely feel like a rich guy once you get the chance to explore Madrid," The cab driver smiled. "You will have a  _wonderful_ time in the city!"

 Hayes smiled and nodded, watching the people walking on the streets and playing a little game of guessing who was a tourist and who wasn't. Once the cab driver pulled into the front of Hotel Auditorium Madrid. The cab driver stopped the car to give Hayes his suitcase from the trunk, Hayes thanking him as they said their goodbyes. Hayes walked into the hotel already having a fresh dose of freedom.

 ---

 Hayes walked into the hotel room, his suitcase already sitting by the door. The room smelled fresh and looked like a dream, the bed made and the little table set by it. It looked like a dream and felt like one, almost convincing himself it was a dream. He jumped on the bed and began to have memories of Chicago, wondering if this trip would be even more legendary than that one. Not wanting to compare the two, simply wanting to enjoy his vacation and take it in as much as he could. Of course he didn't really know how long he would be in Spain due to the circumstances that made him take the trip in the first place, but he planned on staying there for a week or two. Hopefully he wouldn't have to be on the run for that long, but if he was then he'd be nomadic and travel all over the world. He could never stay in one place forever. Madrid was beautiful, but if he was on the run then he wanted to take it in as much as he could.

 Sitting on the bed for a moment, lost in his thoughts, he suddenly got back to Earth and turned on the TV. All of the televisions shows were in Spanish, and he attempted to test out his Spanish by trying to understand what they were saying. Surprisingly, he was a lot more fluent than he thought he was. He could understand most of the things the people were saying on the soap opera that he was watching, laughing at the ridiculousness of how staged and pretentious it was.  _I'm not so fucked after all,_ He thought with a laugh as he continued watching.

 After a moment, he got up and walked out of the hotel. He wanted to explore the city. It was pretty late in the evening so he wanted to have enough time to have the best first day possible. The weather was perfect and the skyline was magnificent, especially because of how it enhanced the magnificent buildings. Most of the people who passed by him were tan with dark features, many of them being strikingly beautiful. He knew he had something going with Holly, but no feelings would be hurt if he had a secret fling with a girl, right? 

 His main focus, however, wasn't Holly or having a little rendezvous with a native: it was simply to help find himself. He learned a lot about himself on his Chicago vacation, learning that he wasn't the arrogant brat he always thought of himself as. Being in a totally different country would only offer more self-exploration, so what was there to lose? He didn't even think of it as him being on the run from criminals; he simply thought of his trip as an opportunity to get to know himself and learn more about the world around him.

 He was walking in Buen Retiro Park , admiring the views and the European flare of the city. He already felt like he was having the time of his life, simply walking down the street feeling like an adventure. Ready to take on the world, and most of all, ready to stand up tall and walk proud.

 ---

 Cam kept on calling Jack G, but even after 23 tries he failed every time. He hadn't heard the news of Gilinsky's death, the only people who knew being Johnson and Madison. Madison lit Jack Gilinsky's corpse on fire in order to dispose of the evidence, knowing that she was in huge trouble despite Johnson promising to keep it secret. She knew very well that the truth would come out some way or another, so she was constantly living in panic. She felt like she had to distance herself from everyone else because all she could think about was Jack. Jack, Jack, Jack, Jack, Jack. Jack. Jack!  _Jack._ She regretted killing him, realizing she had killed one of the best people in her life. He was so sweet and always treated her right, treating her like a best friend and not just a lover. He treated her like she was the best person in the world, always making everyone around him feel special. Often she would be in the middle of doing something and suddenly think about it, making her cry a waterfall before she could get back to doing whatever she was up to, still sniffling as she went on with her task. However, it is very true that the evil bitch deserved her pain, killing her love in such a sadistic way. Who ever thought that they would die looking into the eyes of their lover, their killer, the person who brought so much joy to their life but was also the one who ended it. All of these things killed her inside when she thought about it, and Jack J was obsessed with it as well. It consumed him, it ate him up inside, and it was all he thought about. Every minute was spent thinking about Jack G. 

 He ran to the basement, stopping at the stairs for a moment to stare at the spot where he found Jack G's corpse. Tears began to flood as he ran off, bolting to the closet that was in the secret part of the basement. This closet was filled with storage that had   
been forgotten over the years, things like crumpled school pictures, old clothes, and long-forgotten photographs that were taken during some of the best times of Jack J's life. Rummaging through all the boxes, he found his school picture from kindergarten. His mind went back to that day, the day he met Jack Gilinsky. They were both wearing the same shirts, they were both named Jack and they were in the same class! It was a friendship made in heaven. They had the best friendship anybody could ask for, but then Jack G's death had to screw up everything. How come this had to happen to them? Why did God damn Jack G with the most tragic last few minutes of life? Why did Jack G have to die in the hands of his girlfriend? And most of all, why didn't Jack J stop Madison in time to stop her? They got into a foolish fight, and Jack J knew it could've gone differently if Jack hadn't made so many serious mistakes. Jack was so regretful that his friend's last memory of him was being slapped. It wasn't smart to do in the first place, but the fact that it was their last interaction made it even worse. 

 Then he remembered the reason why their little fight even started, and it was something that Jack didn't want to remember...

 The rape.

 Jack felt terrible. He had done the worst, most unforgivable act any person could do. Rape is never forgivable, and it definitely is never right to sympathize for a rapist. All of this Jack knew very well, but he felt like he had to turn himself in. He didn't know that Holly forgot it all since he got blacked out, but even if he knew this he would still take action. He couldn't live with himself knowing he violated her so sadistically, so he put down the photograph, got up on his feet and ran up the stairs. This was when he got a knock on the front door.

 It would be way too coincidental if Holly was at the door, but there was a part of him that wanted it to be her. He held his breath as he opened the door.

 "Hey Jack," Taylor said. "May I come in?"

 "Ugh, sure," Jack replied, trying to hide his disappointment.

 Taylor walked in the door, noticing something was off. He noticed Jack's eyes were stained red, and Taylor could tell from his voice that he'd been crying. Jack wasn't much of a crier at all, so he knew something was up.

 "Jack, have you been crying?" Taylor bluntly asked.

 "Why do you ask?" Jack didn't want Taylor to think he was weak, so he attempted to hide it at first.

 "Your eyes are stained red and you sound really shaky. You're even shaking right now."

 Jack gulped.

 "Have you been crying?" Taylor asked again.

 "Yes," Jack gave up.

 "What's wrong?"

 "I can't tell you."

 "Why not?"

 "Because Madison will kill me," Jack blurt out quickly.

 Taylor raised a brow. This was getting weird very quickly.

 "Why would she k- What did she do?" Taylor was now getting very impatient.

 "I can't tell you what she did," Jack answered simply. "If I told you, she'd kill me. That's why I can't say anything."

 Taylor sighed.

 "I swear to God I won't tell anybody!" Taylor stressed. "I swear to God, I swear to Jesus... Goddammit I swear to all the damn apostles! Just fucking tell me and no one else needs ta hear! You're not one to cry a lot so I know it's something serious, and you know I wouldn't fuck with that."

 Jack nodded and began tearing up, trying to hold in his inevitable cries.  

 "Madison killed Jack!" He gave up, his hands covering his face. "There, I said it!"

 "SHE WHAT?!"

 "Damn it, don't make me say it again! I didn't wanna tell ya and look what you did! You're trying to make me look weak and I don't appreciate it."

 "Whoa... How did you get to  _that_ conclusion? I'm just tryna help because you looked upset! If you're in a crummy mood  _of course_ I will try to help you! Don't you dare give me this nonsense that I am trying to make you look weak! Now if you're gonna be this way  _at least_ gimme the details of how it happened!"

 Jack began wiping away his tears as he nodded, in his head trying to find a right way to start.

 "So me and Jack got into a big fight," He began. "Unfortunately, that was Jack's last memory of me: his best friend bitching at him."

 "What was the fight about?" Taylor asked.

 "I don't wanna talk about that."

 "If you hold in even the faintest of details, it's gonna bite back at ya and you're gonna have a ball of hatred still left inside you. You gotta say it out loud or it's gonna be stuck with ya for the rest of your miserable life."

 Jack sighed.

 "It was about Holly." Jack confessed, trying to run away from the details.

 "What about Holly?" Taylor asked, knowing this was a question Jack didn't want to be asked.

 "You need to respect that there are some things I don't wanna answer!"

 "Dude, I'm not here to judge you! I wasn't even here to talk to you in the first place; I was here to just pick up my jacket that I left here, but instead of my just taking what I needed and leaving, I'm sitting here with you trying to help you feel better! It's just what friends  _do._ I coulda been a selfish prick, but I care about you, so you better tell me what happened or I'm just gonna leave."

 Jack nodded, feeling slightly threatened. He wanted Taylor to leave, but he mostly wanted him to stay since he needed somebody to talk to.

 "Jack was mad at me because he found out I raped Holly," Jack confessed, feeling a weight lift off his shoulders. "He told me to man up and confess what I did, but instead of bei-"

 

 

 

 "YOU DID WHAT?!" Taylor got up and shouted. "YOU  _RAPED_ HER?! YOU- YOU MONSTER! HOW CAN YOU LIVE WITH YOURSELF, YOU DISGUSTING PIECE OF SHIT! HOW COULD YOU?!"

 "IT'S HARD TO EXPLAIN, I SWEAR I'M NOT A BAD GUY!"

 " _A BAD GUY?!_ ANYONE WHO IS A RAPIST IS A BAD GUY! HOW COULD YOU-"

 Jack crept under the bookshelf in the living room and pulled out a loaded gun. They usually kept this gun in case of a burglar or any other intruders, but Jack found this to be a much more important situation.

 "YOU HAVE TO SWEAR YOU WON'T TELL ANYONE OR I'LL PULL THE TRIGGER!" Jack threatened as he held it up.

 "WAIT!" Taylor demanded.

 Jack got closer.

 "JACK!" Taylor yelled. "HOW IS THIS ANY DIFFERENT THAN WHAT MADISON DID TO YOU?!" 

 Jack's face softened, his arm no longer lifted as he waited for Taylor to continue.

 "Didn't Madison threaten you to never tell anyone about Jack? Well, you're telling me to never tell anyone about Holly. She murdered Jack, you raped Holly. You both did serious, deadly crimes and now you're acting like Madison is the only bad guy in this situation. But really, there's more than one bad guy here, and you don't need to be a fucking rocket scientist to figure out who it is."

 Taylor walked out as he grabbed his jacket from a chair, Jack still frozen. Jack realized that he was right; there was no difference between him and Madison. He'd be a hypocrite if he shot Taylor, and he wouldn't honor Jack's legacy at all. If anything, he would disrespect it, and Jack had enough on his plate already.

 Before Taylor walked out the door, Jack stopped him by calling his name. At this, Taylor turned around and waited for whatever Jack was going to say.

 "You made a good point," Jack said. "I would never shoot you. I'm sorry about threatening you, and I know I'm a terrible person. Rape is inexcusable. I don't wanna be like Madison, so I gotta turn myself in and get what I deserve."

 Taylor smiled and nodded slowly, letting his apology sink in.

 "What a perfect way to end a friendship," He smirked.


	29. Chapter 29

 Hayes was walking out of The Museo del Prado, a magnificent art museum he had spent half the day at. He was so amazed by all the gorgeous art; it was such an unforgettable experience. Since he was a big lover of art and art museums themselves, it was a remarkable experience. He was going to call Nash and tell him about it, which he did once he got a cab and drove to the hotel, but then he suddenly remembered what Jack told him about Sky and Gilinsky. Hayes had no idea that it was all a lie, so he truly believed it was serious and Nash had to know. He thought that Nash should know since the situation seemed creepy. Who wouldn't be shocked to hear that their fourteen year old sister was dating a twenty-eight year old? And to make matters worse, the adult was friends with the person. That would be really fucked up.  
  
 After Hayes was telling him all about his experience at the art museum for a quick few minutes, he quickly cut to the chase.  
  
 "So a few nights ago, I was talking to Johnson," Hayes began.  
  
 "Mhm," Nash replied.  
  
 "And Johnson was telling me all this about how Madison and Gilinsky got into a fight. Well, he was telling me that the whole fight started because of some girl Gilinsky was cheating with."  
  
 "Really? Are you sure that's what they fought about? That doe-"  
  
 "I know for a fact! He told me. Just lemme-"  
  
 "That doesn't sound like something Gilinsky would do."  
  
 "I know! I didn't believe it at first, but I heard the fighting in the background so it  _had_ to be that. It was serious! You won't even believe who the girl was!"  
  
 "Who was the girl?" Nash asked.  
  
 "It was  _Sky!"_ Hayes revealed.  
  
 "WHAT?!" Nash let out a loud gasp. "SKY?!"  
  
 "Yeah, that's what Johnson told me! I was so shocked I was so close to hopping off the plane and dragging my ass back to LA!"  
  
 "Plane?! What plane?! Are you traveling again?"  
  
 "Yes, Nash! I told you about the art museum! I'm in Madrid, remember?" Hayes chuckled.  
  
 "Ohh! My bad, my memory is fading with age," Nash joked.  
  
 "Yeah, I was gonna say!"  
  
 "But really, he had a thing with Sky?"  
  
 "Yeah! Our ---  _our_ \--- little sister! Our little baby sister had a thing with Jack, a man in a committed relationship with Ms. Madison Beer! I don't know if they got back together or what, so I think I'm gonna call Gilinsky later and ask how he's doing. I'm not gonna be his friend anymore though."  
  
 "Hey, why wouldn't you wanna be his friend anymore?" Nash asked with sympathy for Jack in his voice.  
  
 "Be _cause_! He flirted with our little sister!" Hayes stressed, pacing back and forth his hotel room. "I can't be friends with a guy who flirts with little girls! She's only fourteen and he's more than a decade older! Wouldn't it be weird if we stayed friends with him?"  
  
 Nash was silent for a moment. He loved Jack, and  _really_ wanted to forgive him, but how could he? It was a pretty ugly situation.  
  
 "Well, I guess he needs to find better taste and not get with younger bitches," Nash barely joked out of pity.  
  
 Nash could feel Hayes shrug on the other end.  
  
 "I dunno, man," Hayes said after a hot minute. "I'm not gonna control your friendships, so you think what you want of that boy. I've just decided that I don't wanna fuck with him because he got with my sister, that's it. You can stay friends with him and have it be all good, or just do whatever the hell you want. It's your life, man."  
  
 "Yeah, but I at least want an explanation."  
  
 "Call him. Or --- I think  _Madison_ will get him to do all the talking. She must be hella upset."  
  
 "Ugh,  _yeah!"_ Nash chuckled.  
  
 "So I'll talk to you later," Hayes smiled. "Later, loser."  
  
 "Later, ugly motherfucker."  
  
 Hayes hung up and stood in place for a moment, staring at the door. The room was silent for a moment, Hayes lost in his thoughts. There was suddenly a knock on the door.  
  
 "I don't remember calling anyone!" Hayes commented to himself as he looked through the peephole of the door. When he looked through it, there was a lady holding a gift basket. Loving the sight of the basket already, he opened the door with a giant grin on his face. The lady asked for his name and gave the basket to him once he said "Hayes Grier".  
  
 "They are from Skylynn Floyd," She smiled, walking away. "Enjoy your goodies!"  
  
 "Thank you, miss!"  
  
 He closed the door and looked through the basket. It had all of his favorite candies and some muffins and donuts as well. There was a little card attached, so Hayes opened it and read it to himself. It read:  
  
   _Dear Hayes,  
  I heard you were in Madrid because Nash told me. I decided to give this to you as a little gift. You deserve it! Hope the Panthers don't catch ya this time!   
 Love,  
_ Sky <3  
  
  Hayes smiled at the note, but began to get concerned once he saw the part about the Pink Panthers... And the fact that it didn't really look like her handwriting. Plus, how did she know he was in Madrid? He hadn't told anyone but Nash, and he hadn't told Nash until that day. How could she have known?  
  
 Eating one of the glazed chocolate donuts, he called Sky to thank her for the gift basket. He also wanted to know how she found out that he was in Madrid. How did she know where he was, and most of all, how did she know that he was running from the Panthers? So many questions.  
  
 ---  
  
 Sky was sitting in her room, preparing her binders for the new school year. This year she would be a freshman, and her parents seemed to be more ecstatic about her first year of high school than she was. The previous year had been better than she could've ever asked for, so she was a bit nervous this year wouldn't be as good, but she didn't want to compare. She knew it would be different but a good kind of different.  
  
 In the midst of silently preparing her Biology binder, thinking about a boy she had a crush on, she suddenly got a call from Hayes. She grinned brightly at the screen when she saw his name and quickly dropped her binder and answered the phone.  
  
 "What's up, homie jizz?" She said with a smooth voice.  
  
 "Hey Sky," He greeted. "I just called to thank you for the gift basket."  
  
 "A gift basket? What gift basket?"  
  
 Hayes frowned. This had to be what he thought it was.  
  
 "You know, the gift basket you sent to my hotel in Madrid. Didja-- Did you not send one?"  
  
 "No, I never sent anything to you!" Sky was perplexed and growing concerned. "I didn't even know you were in Madrid!"  
  
 Hayes gulped.  
  
 "Did it say I sent it or something?" Sky asked. "'Cause, like, I never sent anything to you!"  
  
 Hayes was silent, slowly reaching his hand into the basket, feeling around it to check if there was anything in it. He knew this had to be a sign from the Pink Panthers as a "warning"... More like a threat. Resting his ear in the basket, he heard quiet ticking noises.  
  
 "Hayes? Hayes?" Sky said into the phone.  
  
 The ticking got louder and louder. Soon enough, with eyes wide, he found a bomb with five seconds left.  
  
 "GOTTA GOOOOO!" Hayes shouted as he quickly hung up the phone.  
  
 He ran up to the window in a haste, chucked the bomb as far as he could muster, and covered his ears as he ran into the bathroom, shut the door and hid in the bathtub. In a matter of seconds, he heard a giant explosion that felt like a slam to the ears. Feeling his heart beat faster and faster, he knew that the Panthers had tracked him down. They had to do some hacking in order to find him. He knew he wasn't safe staying in Madrid.  
  
 Quickly packing all of his belongings in his suitcase, he stormed down to the lobby and checked out of the hotel. He wanted to suddenly disappear into thin air, but he knew he couldn't give up. He couldn't die knowing that the enemy won. No bone in his body would allow him to give up, his arrogance boiling the more he thought about it.  
  
 ---  
  
 Once Hayes finally got a taxi to the airport, the sky suddenly got darker. There were police all over the sight where the bombing took place, and it wasn't until they drove away that he realized that he accidentally bombed a refrigerator warehouse.  _Shit!_ He thought.  _Only more trouble! Now how am I going to travel anywhere else if the Panthers can track me down?!_  
  
 Knowing he was trouble, he felt that the only way to get on a plane was if he were to sneak on. But how could he get on the plane with his suitcase?!  
  
 "Hey, driver," Hayes said to the taxi driver.  
  
 The driver, an old man with a big nose and greasy black hair, was quite alarmed at his sudden greeting. He turned back, looking at Hayes for a second before turning back to the road and sighing. He looked disinterested and unintentionally hurt Hayes' feelings for a moment, but Hayes thought he was just a stupid, ugly old man.  
  
 "Yes?" The man half-retorted.   
  
 "Uh... I don't know how to say this, but-"  
  
 "Just say it! Whatever it is, just spit it out, guy!"  
  
 Hayes sighed.  
  
 "Will you tell anyone?" Hayes asked, regretting ever starting conversation with this man. He suddenly began to realize how dumb of an idea it was.  
  
 Much to his surprise, the man gave a mischievous smile.  
  
 "Oh, are you- are ya- are you getting into some illegal stuff?" The man asked.   
  
 Hayes was hesitant whether or not to answer, so he just slightly nodded in hopes the man wouldn't get him in trouble.  
  
 "Man!" The man laughed. "Boy, oh boy, oh boy! Young man, you're getting yourself into trouble?" --- The driver pulled out a cigarette, quickly lit it and began to smoke it --- "You're just like me as a kid! What kind of stuff have you been getting yourself into?"  
  
 "Well,  I need a fake passport," Hayes explained. "There's these guys that are chasing after me and they're trying to track me down. Could you maybe hit me up with a guy who sells them? I know it's unrealistic to ask but-"  
  
 "Hey, you're in luck! Listen, listen closely: In the restroom at the back of the airport, there is a guy that sells fake passports. He'll print one up for ya! He's got one of those printers that print straight from his laptop. Great guy! Isn't technology these days amazing?"  
  
 "Really? He can hook me up? No scams? No nonsense? No nothing?"  
  
 "No nothing!" The man beamed. "I only tell this kind of stuff to real bad guys, and I know you're a real bad guy. You're lucky you got a guy like me as your driver, so you better take the chance."  
  
 The man pulled into the parking lot of the airport. Right when Hayes was about to pay him, the man turned it down with a smile.  
  
 "You keep that!" The man gave a generous grin. "You go and do your thing, bud! Hope it all works out and play smart! Remember-"  
  
 "The guy in the bathroom at the back of the airport!" Hayes recited. "Got it!"  
  
 "Perfect! You've got a good memory, son. Make it a good day!"  
  
 The man drove off, Hayes stuffing his cash in his pocket as he walked inside the airport.   
  
 "Damn, I was lucky to get that guy," Hayes said to himself.  
  
 ---  
  
 Entering the bathroom in the back of the airport, just as he was told by the man, praying that he wasn't being a gullible bitch this time, he found a Latino man in a trench coat with a laptop in his hands. He had black sunglasses on and a fedora, and in some strange way the man pulled it off very well. No one can pull off a fedora, so the fact that this guy did said a lot.  
  
 "Hey," Hayes greeted the man quietly in case anyone heard. "Do you happen to be the man that sells fake passports?"  
  
 "Yes," The man said with a thick Spanish accent. "I make them look as real as possible. No one knows this bathroom exists so it is more than the perfect place! What can I do for you?"  
  
 "Well, I need a fake passport for myself."  
  
 "Do you have a passport already?"  
  
 Hayes nodded.  
  
 The man scanned the picture on Hayes' passport and put it on the new fake one, laughing as he worked.  
  
"So, pibe," The man began. "Why are you getting a fake passport if you already have one?"  
  
 "These guys tracked me down while I was in Madrid, so I gotta go as a new identity," Hayes explained.  
  
 Thinking more about the fedora man, Hayes began to wonder why he was so casual about selling fake passports. He was very open and didn't deny anything. This man was either very dumb or very insane... Or both. The fedora man looked something akin to the man that Hayes killed in the alleyway, giving him immediate flashbacks to the day. This was the main reason why Hayes was on the run, but he didn't want to think a lot about it. It made him feel upset, so he liked to think he digressed from his original plan and was only traveling for fun (even though he knew deep in his heart that it was much more than that).  
  
 After waiting for what felt like eternity, The man finally printed up the passport. He then attached it to the binding of an old passport cover, and it looked so legit it was almost scary. This was so unreal to Hayes, and he thanked the man so much that paying him $50 almost felt like too little. Once Hayes walked out, he hid his passport in his jacket to avoid looking suspicious. He suddenly grew cautious, feeling like anyone could catch him. Hayes knew he shouldn't be nervous, but he couldn't help but get paranoid. Wanting to avoid anymore stress, he quickly looked over the list of countries to fly to. Finally deciding on flying to Tel Aviv, Israel being a very peaceful place in 2023, he got ready for his flight and was ready to start a new trip fresh. The passport worked perfectly, no one speculating it to be counterfeit, so he was now free at last. The fake name he used on the passport was Quincy Holmes, and he liked it so much that he decided Tel Aviv would be the place he developed a new persona.  
  
 Goodbye Hayes, hello Quincy (for now)!


	30. Chapter 30

Cameron had just gotten back from the grocery store, putting away everything he had bought when Sierra walked in the room. She had been playing with her toys in her room and was beginning to feel lonely.  
  
 "Daddy!" She beamed with an innocent smile.  
  
 "Sierra!" He grinned with open arms.  
  
 Cam hugged his daughter and scooped her up, soon putting her down since she was too heavy to pick up.  
  
 "Wow, you're getting so big!" He beamed. "You're growing up so quickly I can't pick you up anymore!"  
  
 She giggled and plopped on the floor, playing with her hands. Cameron thought she was the most adorable little thing in the world. All the joy they were feeling soon escalated very quickly to a evidently different mood once Sierra asked the question Cam knew he'd get one day, and that day was now the day.  
  
 "Dad, why do other people have a mom?" Sierra asked.  
  
 "Oh, what do you mean?" Cam nervously chuckled.  
  
 "I always see other people with a mom and a dad. How come I don't have one?"  
  
 Cameron sighed.  
  
 "Did I ever have one?" She asked.  
  
 "Yes, of course you have!" Cam laughed. "Everyone has a mom! Even if that mom isn't around, we've all been born from someone."  
  
 "Born?"  
  
 Cam sighed. He always forgot what it was like to be her age, so he had to put himself in her perspective and remind himself that she was still learning.  
  
 "Sierra, we are all born from a woman," Cam began to explain. "That woman is our mom. In order for babies to be born, they have to live inside their mom for a few months."  
  
 Cameron felt extremely awkward explaining this, pondering whether or not it was a good idea to answer her question. He wished that he had just put it aside, the less he explained the more Sierra asked questions he didn't want to be asked.  
  
 "Live inside their mom?" Sierra asked. "That's weird!"  
  
 "It really isn't," Cam was shaking from embarrassment of himself. "It's natural."  
  
 "Why can't the babies find their own place to live?"  
  
 Cam began laughing hysterically. It was so funny to come out of a 6-year-old; from this he knew that Sierra would grow up to be a snarky and sarcastic queen, and this greatly amused him and made him even more proud to be her father.  
  
 "They can't find their own places to live!" Cam snickered. "The babies are too small and weak to find their own place."  
  
 "I never want to be small and weak." Sierra bluntly replied.  
  
 Cam's eyes widened. He was surprised to hear something like that from a little kid, especially one that said babies should find their own place to live.  
  
 "What do you mean?" Cam asked.  
  
 "I don't wanna be weak enough to depend on other people," Sierra replied just as seriously. "The only person I can depend on is me."  
  
 Whoa, whoa whoa... She was sounding way too mature to come up with this! Someone had to teach her this! She was only six-years-old, and no six-year-old talks like that.  
  
 "Sierra, who did you learn this from?" Cam said.  
  
 "Sky," She said. "She taught me to be by myself."  
  
 "By yourself? Do you mean independent?"  
  
 Sierra nodded.  
  
 "She said a word like that!" She giggled.  
  
 Cam made a half-suppressed smile and stood silently for a moment until he walked back into his bedroom. He was glad that Sky was teaching her such valuable lessons at a young age, and he was especially surprised that all these lessons were coming from  _Sky_ of all people. Sky didn't seem to be much of the philosophical type, so he was glad to learn something new about her.  
  
 ---  
  
 Sky was sitting in class, playing with her pen in the midst of the biology lesson she didn't understand at all. She was the type of person that if she didn't understand something, she'd simply give up and hope that she'd figure it out later. Lost in her thoughts, sitting in the back of the classroom in the same seat she sat in everyday, she soon felt her phone vibrate as everyone else's eyes were glued to the lesson. Alarmed by the sudden vibrating, she half-jumped in her seat once she pulled out her phone. Hoping to not get caught by Mr. Brumbalow, she unlocked her phone and saw that she got a text from Nash.  
  
 "Sky, I know you're only in second hour right now, but I really need you to cut school today," Nash texted. He left another separate text adding, "I get it if you wanna go back, but I have some heavy stuff I need to tell you about."  
  
 Her face burning red, her heart beginning to progressively beat faster, she grew so nervous that she almost felt comforted in the atmosphere of boredom surrounding her. To make matters worse, the lesson was interrupted when Mr. Brumbalow got a call and announced that Sky Floyd was needed in the office. She gulped, bringing her backpack and other belongings with her as she thumped to the office. Once she got there, a serious-faced Nash was sitting in a chair waiting for her.  
  
 "I already signed you out," Nash gave a fake smile. "Let's go get in the car."  
  
 They said their goodbyes to the people working at the desk, Sierra trying not too freak out. She could feel the anxiety attacking her the more she thought about it, and she was really close to having an emotional breakdown that it felt like she was attending her own funeral.  
  
 Once they got in the car, Sierra sitting in shotgun next to her half-brother, Nash started the ignition which sent signals to Sky that this was when the real shit would go down.  
  
 "So Sky, I'm sorry I pulled you out of school so early," Nash began. "I just had to get you out because we have a family emergency."  
  
 Sky slowly nodded, fear so intensely in her eyes it was like they were engulfed in flames.  
  
 "Family emergency?" Sky repeated with a shaky voice.  
  
 Nash nodded.  
  
 "So Hayes told me that Johnson told me about your little secret," Nash began.  
  
 "Secret?!" Sky shouted. "WHAT SECRET?! I HAVE NO SECRET, NASH! WHAT THE FUCK?!"  
  
 "Calm down!"  
  
 She grunted.  
  
 "They told me that you had a little romantic rendezvous with Gilinsky," Nash said.  
  
 Angrily, she took one of Nash's CDs and threw it at the window, fuming with anger.  
  
 "WHAT THE FUCK?! THAT NEVER HAPPENED! THAT'S DISGUSTING! I AM HALF HIS AGE! THIS ISN'T SOME LOLITA SHIT, NASH, I'M NOT LIKE THAT!" She boiled.  
  
 "It's okay! I won't judge you!" Nash attempted to calm her, but this only made her more angry.  
  
 "IT NEVER HAPPENED, YA DUMB CUNT! HE'S UGLY AS FUCK! HE'S DISGUSTING! WHY WOULD I EVER DO THAT?! I'M NOT DISGUSTING, NASH, I'M NOT WHAT YOU THINK I AM! WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU AND WHY DID THAT DUMBASS JOHNSON TELL YOU THAT?! HE'S A GODDAMN LIAR! WHY WOULD YOU BELIEVE THAT BULLSHITTER AND NOT YOUR OWN FUCKING SISTER?!"  
  
 She unbuckled her seat belt and moved to the back of the car, covering herself with her arms as she was lying on the seats, her crimson face buried in the seat. Attempting to hold in tears, but to no avail, she soon broke out crying and began to feel even worse. She'd rather be in biology, a subject she loathed very much, than be in that car with her brother. Even his face made her feel sick. Everything about him made her upset.  
  
 Nash realized from her reaction that she definitely wasn't lying, and now he felt a rock in his stomach as the guilt exploded in him.  
  
 "Sky, I'm sorry!" He began his apology. "I do believe you and I trust you much more than any of my friends! You're my sister, of course I love you and trust you and believe you. He told me and I was so shocked that I had to say something. Tell you what, I'll let you go back to school. Or, we can go out for ice cream or do whatever else you would wanna do. I want to make this up to you because I know that you're hurt. I love you a lot and I hate to see you this way, especially knowing that it's all because of  _me._ "  
  
 The crying soon stopped, a few sniffles here and there, when Sky got up and looked at Nash through the rear-view mirror. She was quiet for a moment, trying to think of the right thing to say.  
  
 "Nash, I'm not mad at you," She pointed out. "I'm just mad that you'd think that of me!"  
  
 "Nooo! I'd never think that of you!" Nash consoled  
  
 "Then- then- then- then WHY did you believe him?!"  
  
 "Because I trust Jack! I didn't think it was like you to do something like that, so I had to come to you before anything happened. The truth always comes out, and it just came out now."  
  
 "But now Hayes thinks I'm a dirty slut!"  
  
 "No he doesn't! Look, you can call him or text him and tell him the truth. I'm really, really sorry."  
  
 Sky barely smiled as she nodded, running up to give Nash a hug from behind. Nash smiled as he drove, feeling her warm hands take the rock out of his stomach. Guilt soon became relief.  
  
 ---  
  
 Nash and Sky went out for ice cream, Sky ordering her usual cake batter sundae which was the best thing she was ever tasted, and everyone was feeling much better. She apologized for her behavior in the car, Nash telling her that it's all good and everything was fine. So when they went back to Nash's place, Sky sitting in his basement and watching TV, Nash decided it would be the right time to tell Hayes. Nash was questioning his friendship with Jack, offended that he would tell such a serious lie, so now he was questioning everything about him that he thought he knew. What was the truth behind Jack? And even more importantly: who was the real Jack Johnson?  
  
 Nash called up Jack, and when Jack answered, Nash made sure to let him know how solemn this call would be.  
  
 "What's good, brotha?" Jack greeted.  
  
 "You lied." Nash curtly replied, cutting straight to the chase.  
  
 "What?!"  
  
 "YOU LIED, JACK!" Nash yelled into the phone.   
  
 "What are you talking about?!" Jack perplexed.  
  
 "You know  _exactly_ what I'm talking about,  _Jack._ "  
  
 "No, I really don't, please tell me what I di-"  
  
 "Sky would NEVER do anything sexual with Gilinsky, and you and I both know that! Even the worst of idiots would know, and I guess you think I'm one of them. Well guess what,  _storyteller,_ I'm NOT! I'M NOT FALLING FOR YOUR BULLSHIT, SO DON'T YOU DARE HAVE ME WORRIED SICK ABOUT MY SISTER! DO YOU HEAR ME?! NEVER TELL ME OR HAYES OR WILL OR ANYONE ON THIS WHOLE GODDAMN EARTH LIES ABOUT MY SISTER! YOU'RE LUCKY THIS IS ONLY A PHONE CALL BECAUSE NEXT TIME I SEE YOU I'M GONNA KICK YOUR ASS, AND  _THEN_ YOU WILL REALIZE HOW SERIOUS IT IS TO LIE ABOUT AN AFFAIR!"  
  
 Nash hung up, leaving Jack frozen. Jack couldn't believe what he just heard, and that was when it hit him that Hayes told Nash.  
  
 "SHIT, WHY WOULD HE DO THAT?!" Jack yelled at himself as he punched in Hayes' phone number in a haste. He was shaking as he waited for Hayes to answer.  
  
 "'Ey, Jack," Hayes greeted. At this time, he was walking through Yarkon Park as he talked on the phone. It had been such a chill day that he was more than shocked to hear Jack so upset.  
  
 "WHAT THE FUCK, HAYES! WHY WOULD YOU TELL NASH ABOUT SKY AND GILINSKY?!" Jack yelled into the phone. "NEXT TIME I SEE YOU, YOU'RE A DEAD MAN! NOW NASH CLAIMS I'M A LIAR AND SAYS HE'S GONNA KICK MY ASS! HE'S GONNA TELL  _EVERYONE!_  YOU'RE DEAD, HAYES, YOU'RE FUCKING DEAD!"  
  
 Jack hung up before Hayes could reply, leaving Hayes with a red face and worry. First he had to worry about the Panthers, and now he had to worry about Jack Johnson. Where in the world could he go and run away from his woes? They seemed to be inevitable, being carried around like luggage wherever he went. No matter how beautiful the place, how remarkable the experience, there was always a burden he felt knowing he was being watched. Knowing there was someone after him, knowing there was always at least one person in the world plotting his death. All these people that hated him so much knew more about him than he knew about himself, so what was there to feel good about?  
  
 Hayes let out a deep breath, looked down at his phone, so angry at the call he got that he decided enough was enough. What he did wasn't smart, but it made him feel a little better. He chucked his phone in the river and continued walking, trying to block out the unpleasant call from his memory.


	31. Chapter 31

Holly was back in Chicago ever since she found out Hayes left. She found it quite rude that he just suddenly left, and she wanted nothing to do with him since he was being so secretive. While her original plan was to stay in his house while he was gone, she also feared that someone involved in Hayes' mafia chaos would come knocking on the door sometime, so she packed her bags and drove with Jack Johnson to the airport. 

 

 

 The time while she was alone in Hayes' house was the time of her life. She lounged around the house all day and rummaged through his belongings, the night being her time to go out and party. Holly used a fake ID to get into clubs, so she could go anywhere she desired. She used about half of the money Hayes gave her on clothes, food and anything else she could possibly want. It felt great that she was now shopping in stores only A-listers could afford, all coming from the pocket of her boy toy. Before she left, she even stole some valuables from his house to make use of her time there. She had problems of being a kleptomaniac her whole life, and she never really considered it a problem since no one knew but her. If all else failed, at least she could steal to make her feel better. She believed if she truly wanted something, it was hers. Finders, keepers, right?

 

 Jack drove Holly to the airport on the day Nash texted her that Hayes disappeared. The two talked in the car, mostly joking and occasionally sharing serious opinions. While their conversations in the car were enjoyable for the two of them, Holly couldn't help but feel like something was a bit off about Jack. She felt like there was something wrong, but she failed to put her finger on what it was. The truth was, all Jack could think was: _I raped this girl. She forgot everything. Someday the truth is gonna come out, and what am I gonna do about that? The problem is that I have really mixed emotions about her. I love her, but I hate her. All I wanted was some domination. I'm not a bad person, right?_

 

 Jack was a scumbag. Any rapist is a scumbag. He strongly disagreed with this, and if he ever heard anyone talk about the sadistic nature of rape then he would pretend to agree with them but think in his head about how wrong he thought they were. Basically, he was blocking out all morals in order to be comfortable living with himself. It was always easy for him to do this, but now that he was actually with the victim it made him realize how bad it really was. 

 

 After talking for a while, Holly began to be bothered by the air. She tried to ignore it, but now she knew that she couldn't. 

 

 "Hey Jack," She began. "Are you okay?"

 

 "Yes, why?" Jack lied. 

 

 "I dunno, I'm just getting really weird vibes from you."

 

 Jack was silent for a moment. By wanting to tell the truth but also holding his words back to "protect" himself, he was practically committing emotional suicide. 

 

 "I've just been having a rough week," He began, only telling a half-truth. "I've been having beef with Madison and it's all been bad. I'm mad at her because I know Jack loves you but Madison loves Jack. Ever since you came along, Jack's been over Madison. It's sad how she just can't accept it."

 

 Holly nodded, not wanting to reveal how flattered she was that Jack Gilinsky loved her. 

 

 "Does Jack really love me?" She blushed. 

 

 "Of course he does!" He falsely-beamed. "Can't you tell?"

 

 "I guess.... People say it's in the air but I don't really see it. I feel it, but I'm never sure if he feels it too."

 

 "Don't deny his feelings! He likes you, okay. It is in the air, or whatever."

 

 Holly smiled, looking out the window at the palm trees. She began thinking about Jack, who she believed was her love, not knowing that he was dead. 

 

 After more thinking, she realized she was burning to ask Jack about why Gilinsky wasn't replying to any of her texts. He hadn't called in weeks, and it was scaring Holly that maybe Jack was trying to ignore her. 

 

 "Hey Jack," She said. "Sorry to bother you with so many questions-"

 

 "No, it's fine!" Jack grinned. "It's really fine! Go ahead!"

 

 "Thanks. I just --- Jack has been ignoring all my texts. Like, I don't wanna sound obsessed or anything, but whenever I try to call him or something he never answers. I think he's trying to cut me off, but I-"

 

 "No, he isn't." Jack said, sighing once he realized he had to tell her what happened. He was still trying to heal from it, so he knew it'd be even harder to tell Holly the news. "But, there's something really important he's been wanting to tell you."

 

 Holly's eyes widened at this. Jack pulled into the parking lot of the airport, and parked the car so he could deliver the news. 

 

 "Okay, what is it?" Holly asked with a nervous laugh. 

 

 "Okay," Jack sighed, trying not to cry. Thinking about Jack Gilinsky's face made it worse. He tried to erase the memory of seeing his corpse lie on the floor, the more he thought about the news the more he wished he told her sooner. He took another deep breath and mentally prepared his words. "I don't know how I'm gonna say this, but he died."

 

 Holly couldn't help but gasp. She felt her face get hot, the news being a bullet to the heart. There was now a hollowness she felt inside her, growing and growing as she felt a rock in her throat. She couldn't believe what she just heard. 

 

 "You're kidding?" She shook in the car seat, her hands clenched in fists. 

 

 He shook his head, tears streaming down his rosy cheeks. 

 

 "I wish I was," He cried. "I really wish I was!" 

 

 Impulsively, she wrapped her arms around Jack and gave him a hug. He could feel the tragedy seep her heart, a flood of sadness drowning her. The news was sudden and was announced so out of the blue that Jack almost regretted telling her, but he knew that if he told her any later then she'd be angry at him. Holly was now sobbing, unable to comprehend the news. How could "the love of her life" be  _dead_? She felt she'd never find anyone nearly as great as him: a man she took as a brother and a friend, a man who was like a father but also like a boyfriend. It felt like she was married and she watched her husband die, and she just had to tell her kids the death of their father. She knew she probably sounded overdramatic, but at this point she didn't give a fuck. All her emotions were running so quickly now that nothing mattered. Holly never cried when people died, so this was the first time it really hit her hard. 

 

 After she had her moment to weep in the car with Jack, they walked into the airport and got ready for their flight to Chicago. Holly would be back in school in just one week, and it depressed her that all the beautiful memories of summer would only be memories. She felt fortunate that they happened, so she decided to not be sad about it and just be glad it came to be. Holly felt like she changed as a person that summer, even going as far as to dub it "the best summer of her life". 

 

 On the plane, as she watched a movie on her phone with Jack sleeping on her shoulder, she thought more about her memories that summer. Even though Gilinsky was gone, she knew he would always be in her heart and on her mind. She knew that Gilinsky would always love her and watch her in heaven. It might have felt like he was gone, but he never really left. He would always be a big part of her, and there was nothing in the whole world that could make her think any different. 

 

 Turning off the movie so she could stop and think, she realized that she wanted to have a love like the one she had with Gilinsky. It made her feel sick that she would never have that with Hayes, as much as she wanted to believe she would. When she first met Hayes, she was so sure it was gonna be him that she fell head over heels for, but at the end of the day she knew it was Jack G she loved. Now that Gilinsky was dead, she knew she had to honor his legacy and tell Hayes the truth. Yes, the money was nice, but she didn't want to make herself become materialistic. One thing she never wanted to be was a gold digger, let alone depend on a man. She wanted to be a strong, independent individual that got what she wanted through hard work. Enough was enough and she had to tell Hayes the truth. 

 

 ---

 

 Two weeks go by and Hayes is in Tel Aviv. He's trying hard not to get into trouble, but he can't help but relapse. He ends up dealing some drugs to some guys in a public bathroom. It was such easy money that he couldn't stop himself! He knew it was wrong, but he adored the mafia life so much that it felt like his only way of life. What else could he do? Get a real job? No way! He loved this life! Well, loved it and hated it. It was complicated. 

 

 However, he began to feel a lot of guilt, even with a large wad of cash in his hands. Hayes shoved it in his wallet and realized that he wanted to make a more positive impact on the world. He almost felt pressured to keep being a gangster. He felt so pressured to be the best and be top dog that he felt obligated to stay in the mob. After all, if he stopped doing what he was doing, the mafias that were after him would think he's a joke. Either way, Hayes would end up dead. That was just how it was at the end of the day. He tried telling himself that as long as he didn't have to touch his gun for the whole day, then all was well. He didn't plan on killing anyone in Tel Aviv, so he didn't bother to bring his gun. Airport security was a bitch, anyway. 

 

 Not wanting to cause any trouble, he just went back to his hotel room and stared at his wad of cash.  _Was it really worth it?_ He thought. _Was it really worth it to sell crack to some guys I've never met? To help someone make their addiction even worse? Hell, at least I made good money. Plus, it is their fault they have a problem. Not mine._

  
Hayes was resting on his bed until he got a phone call from Holly. Overjoyed by the name on the screen, he quickly picked it up. 

 

 "How's it going, baby?" He answered. 

 

 "Hayes, where have you been?" Holly retorted. "I'm back in Chicago because you decided it'd be smart to suddenly leave and not tell anyone. Doesn't it sound shady or what?"

 

 "Listen, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I just, I-"

 

 "WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?!"

 

 "I'm in Tel Aviv. Where are-"

 

 "HONEST TO GOD, HAYES! YOU ARE GONE FOR WHAT -- TWO WEEKS? AND YOU'RE IN  _TEL AVIV_?! 'OH NOTHING, I'M JUST IN FUCKING  _ISREAL_! A WHOLE OTHER PART OF THE WORLD, NO BIG DEAL!' WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"

 

 "I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY, OKAY! PLEASE DON'T BE MAD AT ME!" Hayes begged. "I JUST HAD TO RUN FAST BECAUSE THIS OTHER MAFIA IS AFTER ME!"

 

 "THAT DOES NOT MEAN YOU TAKE A FUCKING VACATION IN TEL AVIV!" Holly shouted into the phone. "I HAD TO GO BACK TO CHICAGO AND LEAVE YOUR FANCYASS HOUSE JUST BECAUSE I THOUGHT ONE OF YOUR DUMB RIVALS WOULD COME BANGING AT YOUR DOOR! YOU NEED TO CUT IT OUT WITH THIS MAFIA SHIT BECAUSE IT IS RUINING YOUR LIFE!" 

 

 "I KNOW IT IS, BUT THERE IS NOTHING I CAN DO! I'M SORRY, ITS CONSUMED ME AND I BARELY HAVE ANY OPTIONS!"

 

 "Just please tell me next time. Don't just leave me at your house and go to a whole different country. It's really fucked up you didn't tell anybody."

 

 Holly hung up. 

 

 She was sitting in her bedroom, staring at the phone when Uncle Jay walked in. 

 

 "Hey Holly, I'm home!" He announced. "How was your trip?"

 

 She looked over at him with a sad expression. Uncle Jay have a fake smile, hoping to rid of her frown, but to no avail. 

 

 "It was the worst trip I've ever been on," Holly lied. "And I would never go to California ever again."

 

 "Well, from your rather high-class outfit it looks like you had a lot of fun!" Jay playfully teased. "I'm loving the new look! It looks very Versace-esque!"

 

 Holly sighed and collapsed on her bed, staring at the ceiling to clear her mind. The blankness of the ceiling almost gave her clarity, a better state of mind. She knew she had to end it with Hayes, but that day was not the day.


	32. Chapter 32

Hayes was so angry at Holly for "freaking out at him" that he felt he needed to "get revenge". What he defined as revenge was to hurt others that had nothing to do with the situation, so later that day, when it was around midnight, he quietly sneaked out of the hotel and broke into the home of a house he always passed whenever he went on walks. It was a big, modern house, and the people who owned it were a mystery to him. He often robbed the homes of strangers in LA when he wanted to get more stuff but didn't want to spend the money (even though he had more than enough money to pay for it). It was quite easy to break into the house since it was left unlocked for easy access. He assumed the people who lived there were very friendly and were good neighbors.  
  
 Once he walked in the door, he already felt like he was being watched. He tip-toed into the house so quietly that not even a bat could hear him. Rummaging through their living room, observing it as if he was going shopping, he tried to find something valuable that also didn't make it to obvious that someone had broken in.   
  
 As he continued to search, he eventually looked at a treasure chest that was sitting in a TV shelf. It was wooden, leather, and surprisingly didn't even have a lock on it! Stars were in his eyes when he opened it and found four diamonds sitting in there. He knew diamonds weren't all that rare, aware of how in Russia they had to hide diamonds in order to make them seem more valuable, but he was so awestruck by the sight of it that he just had to take one. He knew very well that it would be rather evident that someone had come in and stole it, but he couldn't help himself. He quickly shoved it in his pocket, having a burning feeling that someone was going to come and catch him. Before he could possibly forget, he quietly shut the chest and continued his search. Tracing around the bulge of the diamond in his pocket with his fingers, he then looked under the TV shelf to find a scroll with the Star of David on it.  _Jews are all over Israel,_ Hayes thought.  _They seem like such peaceful people. I've always been interested in religion. Maybe the people who live here are, too._  
  
 Putting away the scroll, he decided to be even more daring and walk into their bedroom. Right when he walked in, he felt his heart thumping in his chest as he looked through their drawers, hearing a loud man's snoring. He wasn't feeling right, but that made him wanna follow through with this even more. Looking through the man's drawers, he was in luck when he found out the man he was stealing from was only a size bigger than Hayes. Snatching a shirt and shorts, he decided that was all he wanted and he quietly headed out of the house. Part of him felt certain that he was going to get caught, but another part felt so daring that he didn't really care. Once he shut the front door behind him, and quickly scanned the area around him. The coast was clear. He ran for his life back to the hotel and hurriedly shoved all his new stuff in his suitcase. Hayes didn't realize he was shaking until he jumped on the bed and got under the covers, undressing out of his clothes and lounging in his boxers. He thought that being scared made him weak, but since no one was there to see him shaking he felt it was excusable this time. Hayes was so scared that he almost felt afraid to walk outside. He then began to feel deep regret, but he knew that he couldn't run off to another country again. He couldn't let himself repeat what happened in Madrid, so he wouldn't be leaving Tel Aviv any time soon. Plus, it would start to get expensive if he left for a new country every week. However, he had been spending two weeks in Tel Aviv, so one side of him was trying to tell him it was okay to leave. Was it really, though? Was it really okay to leave after every single fault instead of trying to change? This was becoming less of a runaway from the Panthers and more of a runaway from his woes. What was Hayes really running from?  
  
 He got up and started pacing around the room, thinking this through and whispering to himself. The more he talked to himself about it, the less it made sense to him. What was he gaining from this trip? Did it even matter whether or not Hayes went back to Los Angeles? How long would he be gone, _if_  he ever went back? Now he was questioning whether or not to abandon his home in LA. He thought that maybe he could just give it to Holly when she turned eighteen, but that would be in three years. What would he do in the meantime? How would the boys react if they had no idea where the hell he even was?  
  
 Giving up on himself, he got all his stuff together and planned to leave in the morning. He couldn't stay in Tel Aviv knowing he stole from an innocent resident. The smart thing to do would've been to return the stuff and be honest about he did, which was an option he thought about, but the whole point of his trip was to run from the law so they wouldn't find out about the murder of a man he didn't even know the name of. Now that his whole plan to be a new guy called Quincy was thrown in the trash, there was nothing else he could do in Tel Aviv. Where would Hayes go now?  
  
 ---  
  
 Hayes woke up at 10 in the morning, feeling liquid. Something was off. He wanted to forget his late night talk he had with himself, but he couldn't get it off his mind. It was bothering him so much that he jumped out of bed, changed into his own clothes, grabbed his suitcase and ran to the airport. Once he got there, he was willing to go anywhere. He looked for foreign flights and saw that the cheapest one would be to Athens, so off to Athens he went. Goodbye Quincy (even though his Quincy plan failed miserably. He never even met anyone)!  
  
 ---  
  
 Holly was pacing around in her room after school, still dressed in her uniform that she was required to wear. She was now going to a private school since Jay wanted her to start off a new life now that her mother was out of the picture, and Holly loved her new school. Even though she was one of the only white girls there, the people there didn't treat her any differently, and if anything they treated her even better since she was new. Most of the kids she had met loved her and thought she was really cool, and now Holly was finally excited to go to school. She felt the love and they felt it too, so all was well at Jewish Academy (yes, Jay is Jewish so he sent her to a Jewish school... Even though she isn't Jewish).  
  
 While all was well at Jewish Academy, there was a lot that wasn't well when it came to her ex-Magcon friends back in LA. She knew very well there was a lot of chaos going on, Hayes being the main perpetrator of it all. Blaming him for  _all_ of the problems with the boys would be an overstatement, but Holly didn't know anything about the other problems the boys were facing. One of the main problems she knew very well was Jack's death, but that was something she didn't want to think about. Every time it came across her mind, she couldn't help but start to tear up, so she always tried to hold it in and think of something else. Anything else. Usually thinking about dumb, cringe-worthy things she did in the past would help her get her mind off it, but reminding herself of embarrassing moments wasn't necessarily the most healthy coping method either. However, Holly didn't really care, for she liked to tell herself that if it wasn't on her mind, then all was well. But was that really the truth? Was all really well?  
  
 She pondered this as she paced around her room, trying to sort out her thoughts and think of the best way to handle all the chaos going on with Hayes. Although she was over the fact that he suddenly ran away, there was still a pinch of her that was bothered by the fact that he was shady and didn't tell her where he went. What kind of person would bring their love interest to their house and then dump them there to fly off to a totally different country? The situation was strange, but so was Hayes. He had a habit of lying a lot in the past, so she was trying to decipher whether or not she should continue their friendship. She knew very well that she was ending their relationship, but now she was thinking about cutting him off for good. Never meet your idols, they say, and now Holly knew why.  
  
 ---  
  
 Cameron was in the middle of writing a new song when he got a call from Holly. He picked it up and hoped it would be something positive and not another terrifying update. Hopefully nobody was causing any trouble or trying to hurt her... Again!  
  
 "Hey Holls," Cam greeted. "Are you doing okay?"  
  
 "Yeah, I'm fine," She said in a sweet voice. "I just called because I needed some wise elderly advice."  
  
 "'Wise elderly advice'? Sweet. Whatcha need, sista?"  
  
 "Well, a while ago I got a call from Hayes saying he was in Tel Aviv. He never told me he was leaving LA in the first place, let alone going to a totally different COUNTRY in THE MIDDLE EAST! What the hell was he thinking?!"  
  
 Cameron raised a brow, but he couldn't help but laugh since what she described was such a Hayes thing to do. He was the type that would suddenly run away without telling anyone, so he wasn't shocked at all to hear this news.  
  
 "Sis, I hate to break it to ya since you since you sound really upset, but that's just the way he is!" Cameron chuckled. "He's always running off to different places! This is the first time he's done it internationally, but he's always getting himself into chaotic shit. He's just a chaotic guy. If you're up for spontaneous surprises, then Hayes is your guy. If you don't like it, don't tal-"  
  
 "I get that, but don't you think it's rude for him to suddenly drop me at his house and leave me there for --- God knows how long?!" Holly pointed out.  
  
 "Listen, I never said it was okay! I never said I agreed with what he did, but that's just Hayes! He's nomadic! I understand that what he did wasn't right and was very rude on his part, but at the same time, sometimes he can't help it! He just has to get up and run away! Sometimes he has breaking points and he just can't take it anymore! It has nothing to do with you or me or Nash or the next guy... It's just because he's that kind of guy that strives for adventure whenever it comes to him. And he thinks it  _always_ comes to him. He says every moment is an opportunity for adventure, but he takes that statement a bit too literally."  
  
 They both chuckled at that and continued their discussion.  
  
 "You're right, but that's not the main reason why I called," Holly added.  
  
 "Oh, it isn't?" Cam beamed, wanting to hear more.  
  
 "The main reason why I needed advice is becau-"  
  
 "Hey, you don't need a main reason! We're buddies; we don't need reasons!"  
  
 "Right, right," She chuckled.  
  
 "So what is it, b?" He grinned.  
  
 "I called b-"  
  
 "REMEMBER WHAT I SAID ABOUT NO REASONING!" He laughed. "C'MON, HELP ME OUT!"  
  
 "Okay, so I wanted to as-"  
  
 "DON'T DO THAT!"  
  
 Holly and Cam laughed for a moment until she finally found the words that he was looking for.  
  
 "So lemme cut to the chase," She began confidently.   
  
 "That's the spirit!" Cam cheered.  
  
 "So lemme cut to the chase: I wanna break up with Hayes."  
  
 Cam's jaw dropped to the floor.  
  
 "YOU WHAT?!" He gasped. "ARE YOU SERIOUS?!"  
  
 "One hundred percent," She bluntly stated. "Can I be real for a second?"  
  
 "Of course you can! Never ask that, baby! You know that we like to keep it real up in here!"  
  
 She was silent for a moment, pondering whether or not she should say it. Holding her breath for a hot second, she decided to woman up and confess.  
  
 "To be honest, I'd rather date you than him," She admitted.  
  
 Nash walked out of Cam's bedroom and into the living room.  
  
 "What are you guys talking about?" He asked once he saw the phone in Cam's hand, walking up behind him.  
  
  Holly heard Nash's voice and raised an eyebrow. Where did he come from? Did people just randomly pop up at Cam's house and no one questioned it?   
  
 Cam looked over at him and smirked, wrapping an arm around him.  
  
 "Sorry, Holly," Cam smugly responded, "But I've got another boy I've been thinking about! The man of my dreams!"  
  
 He gave Nash a kiss on the cheek, Holly dropping her phone in disgust at the sound. Not only did Cam not feel the same way, but he was in love with their friend, NASH! How much worse could this get?  
  
 Her eyes wide, bulging at the phone on the ground, she saw that Nash had hung up. It would take a while for her to warm up and want to talk to him again, but she couldn't help but wonder how things escalated so quickly after only a matter of two weeks.


	33. Chapter 33

Carter Reynolds was a terrible person when he was a teenager. Once he got to his mid-twenties, he decided to clean up his act since he learned the consequences of his actions back when Magcon was popular. When the video of him pressuring his ex-girlfriend Maggie Lindemann to give him a blowjob surfaced on the internet, he placed all the blame on Hayes Grier. Betrayed, Hayes cut off all contact with him, and so did the other boys. It was now eight years after the incident and nothing had changed.  
  
 Now Carter was 27, living in Athens, Greece. Carter had been living in Greece for 7 years, moving there when he was 20 for a trip of self-discovery as well as changing his ways. He worked as a secretary and passed his time by painting, writing poetry, and talking to strangers on the internet. Carter was a totally changed man, now a much better person that was intelligent as well as very humble. Greece was an economic superpower at this time, 2023 being its prime. He never thought he would move to Europe, let alone Athens, but after realizing how badly he needed a fresh start he knew he needed a change of location. A man that loved exploration, he fell in love with Athens. Such a romantic city was Athens: with a remarkable history and impeccable sights. The economy, which was a main concern of his, was luckily far different than it was back when he was a teenager, so off he went to Greece. He learned the language that he soon fell in love with, and even though he wasn't the most Greek-looking guy around, his fellow Greeks treated him just like the rest of them. He lived in a beautiful apartment, the outside being a bright blue and white just like most Greek homes, and upon moving in he already felt like he was apart of a new society. A fresh start would welcome him, along with a new look and a new wardrobe and even a new name. To deceive people who may have recognized him, in public he called himself Fabian. Although this was basically like living a lie, he loved it. It felt like he got to be like an actor and play a different person. Besides, it was only name. What was the harm in going by a different name?  
  
 Old fans of Carter were concerned, but once they all became adults they had more important things to worry about. Everyone thought that he disappeared, not even his family knowing where he was. Most people assumed that he died and moved on with their lives, long being over the days of Magcon. After all, Magcon did end nine years prior. Holding onto something for about a decade would be concerning, especially something as teeny bopper as Magcon.   
  
 Little did Carter know that Hayes was on a plane that would land in Athens. Hayes had no idea what ever became of Carter, still thinking of him as the rotten boy that cheated a friend. If Hayes knew that Carter was somewhere in Athens, he'd leave in a heartbeat. But little did Hayes know about the new Carter, the Carter that the Greek people knew and loved. Now that Carter was soft-spoken and introverted, kind and humble, he was unrecognizable, let alone his drastic change in appearance. Now Carter had a Jack Kerouac-esque haircut that was dyed honey blonde, wore blue eye contacts, had glasses and wore simpler clothing. Carter looked so unrecognizable that no one could tell who he was, not even the most obsessed of fans! But still, Carter feared someone may recognize him, so he went by Fabian. New name, new life.  
  
 ---  
  
 Hayes was standing in an elevator patiently, waiting to get to his room. It was around midnight and he had just checked in to President Hotel Athens, and he was expecting his luggage to be dropped off by his door so he could smoke some weed. He hadn't smoked in years, but he was feeling so crummy that he needed to relax, and he thought marijuana would be the perfect answer. Lucky for him, airport security was a lot less strict ever since in 2020's hit, terrorist attacks being a minimum and a world war being the least of anyone's worries. This made it easier for him to haul around drugs from country to country (even though he was trying to escape the gangster life). He often contradicted his idea of leaving the mafia; he dubbed being a mobster as an addiction. He felt like it was the only way he could make use of himself and make a living, so he continued to sell drugs, but he decided to drop pimping male prostitutes. It was getting quite tiring and he felt like he could be doing better things. Besides, it was upsetting seeing young men so desperate to make money that they would sell their bodies. He was thankful he didn't prostitute young women because that would make it even more upsetting. Women already dealt with men's problems since the beginning of time, and Hayes didn't want to be part of an objectifying society. See, he wasn't  _that_ much of a bad guy, but he liked to think of himself as one.  
  
 Once he walked in his hotel room, he suddenly got a strange feeling he couldn't put his finger on. Deciding he needed a little buzz, he pulled out his pen and smoked it. When the smoke traveled to his throat, it was more quick than he expected, so he quickly huffed it out and accidentally swallowed some of it. This made him get nervous since he hadn't smoked in a while, so he tried coughing out the smoke. He wasn't sure if it was all out yet, so he decided to just forget it and move past it. It felt good, and the aftertaste was exquisite, so he hadn't regretted his decision at all.   
  
 He put away his vape pen and plopped on the bed, feeling a buzz as he tasted the flavor still left in his throat. Waving away at the smoke that was still in the air, feeling more euphoria and now wanting more. Hayes pulled the pen back out and smoked it, then smoked it again, and eventually it became a cycle in which he ended up smoking himself to sleep. This had never happened to him before, but the buzz made him feel so good he couldn't stop. He had gotten headaches and rashes on his face as a side effect when he vaped in the past, but the delight it brought him made it all seem irrelevant. Drifting off to sleep, he began to feel nauseous.  _Fuck it,_ he thought, his body too exhausted to help him think straight.  _Tomorrow may be rough but at least I had a good time._  
  
 ---  
  
 Hayes woke up with the worst migraine in the world.   
  
 "FUCK!" He moaned. "WHY DO SIDE EFFECTS HAVE TO SUCK SO FUCKING BAD?!"  
  
 Although the side effects were terrible, he didn't regret his decision. Even though his first day in Greece would probably be a long one, he knew that he had to face the consequences of his choices.  
  
 He looked at himself in the mirror and noticed a rash around his eyes.  
  
 "Shit, this better not stay for long," He thought out loud. "I'm never gonna find some hot Greek chicks if I look like this for long."  
  
 Right when he said this, he caught his words and stopped. Remembering Holly, her innocent face and her lovely atmosphere she never failed to bring, he realized he couldn't be unfaithful to her. His palm rested on his forehead in aid of his headache as he slowly walked to the other side of the room, thinking about how she was probably still mad at him. Should he call her? Was she really still mad or was he just overthinking? He wasn't sure what to do, but to ease his guilt he called her anyway as he walked out of his room and trotted along the streets.  
  
 After multiple rings, she finally answered.  
  
 "Hello?" She sleepily answered.  
  
 "Hey," Hayes said. "I just wanted to call to see if you were doing okay. I-I'm really sorry about dumping you at my house. It was a crummy thing ta do and I really regret it. Please forgive me and-"  
  
 "Hayes, it's fine," She half-chuckled, now smiling brightly at the thought of him. "I'm sorry I was being a dick about it. I was just worried one of your mafia friends would come and I'd be screwed. Plus, your house is hella nice so I didn't mind it too much."  
  
 "Well, I'm glad. I still feel bad but I hope you're doing okay."  
  
 "Don't feel bad, really," Holly beamed, letting out a puff of smoke. She was smoking cigarettes for the first time, and it wasn't going as well as she thought it would. Her friend gave her a pack at school and told her to try it, but after the second time of puffing out smoke she had a insufferable cough attack. Hayes could hear on the other end, so he began to grow concerned.  
  
 "Holly, are you okay?!" His jaw dropped. "What's going on? Are you sick?"  
  
 "No, I'm just smoking for the first time," She admitted. "My friend Jael told me to try it, but it isn't going too well. She told me I will get used to it after a while, but this is gonna be my first and last time doing this. Fuck it, I'm lighting the rest of the pack on fire."  
  
 "Really? It's weird that you say that because I vaped last night after taking the longest break from them!" He said. "It felt good when I did it but the side effects are killing me. I hate to say I don't regret it at all but hey, you gotta experiment a little."  
  
 "Yeah, yeah," Holly said, an outstretched arm peeking out of her window. She had the pack of cigarettes in her hand, and using the other hand she lit it on fire. Quickly dropping the pack that was now engulfed in flames, she watched it fall to the sidewalk when a man ran over it with his bike. Holly laughed hard with her hand covering her mouth, hoping that the man and his bike wouldn't be harmed by the fire.  
  
 "What's going on?" Hayes chuckled, hearing Holly's laughter on the other end. He was now walking through Plaka as he marveled at the gorgeous historic neighborhood.  
  
 "Sorry, I just lit it on fire and dropped it out my window!" Holly laughed, waving off the smoke. She ripped off the pajamas she was wearing since they reeked of smoke and tossed them in the trash. They were old pajamas so it didn't matter. "This guy ran over the pack and I'm hoping he's okay!"  
  
 "Damn, you tryna cause a fucking inferno?!" Hayes laughed.  
  
 Holly giggled and closed her window, covering her chest since she didn't want neighbors to see her in only a bra.   
  
 "I'm so glad Jay is gone," She added. "If he found out I was smoking he'd kill me!"  
  
 "Who's Jay?" Hayes asked.  
  
 "My uncle. I live with him now ever since I got taken away from my mom. It has been a few months and I still haven't gotten an update on her... Not that I need one, but ya know... It's good to know what comes to those you used to know. I'm a curious person so I like to know how people end up."  
  
 "Yeah, I getcha."  
  
 Hayes began breathing heavily, his throat feeling tight. It felt like there was still smoke in there so he freaked out.  
  
 "By the way, thanks for not judging me," Holly said. "It's nice to know I have people who understand."  
  
 "Of course!" Hayes beamed. "I'm in no place to judge, anyway. Why would I be angry at you? If anything, I'm proud you decided to try it because  _you_ wanted to, and I'm especially proud that you learned from it."  
  
 "I don't understand how people can be addicted. I know that with nicotine slipped in it must be hard for 'em, but personally I hated it too much to ever even consider trying it again. My body just isn't built for that. I know  _nobody_ has a body 'built for drugs', but some handle it better than others, ya know? I'm just somebody who can't handle it at all, and I'm glad I taught myself not to do it."  
  
 "There should be more people like you. Ya know, people who actually teach themselves instead depend on other people to teach them. It's nice."  
  
 Holly smiled.  
  
 "Well, I better get going," Hayes said. "It was great talking to you."  
  
 "Thanks, I had a lot of fun with you, too," Holly replied.  
  
 "Bye, baby."  
  
 "Bye, cutie."  
  
 Hayes hung up with a sweet smile, a warm feeling overtaking him that immediately made all the side effects slip away. He knew that his good mood didn't  _really_ take it away, of course, but it definitely did mask it.  
  
 Deciding he needed some adventure to start off his first full day in Athens, he headed to The Ancient Agora of Athens. Right before he could even step foot in the place, he saw a man that looked oddly familiar. Much to his surprise, the man looked like he recognized Hayes as well. To make Hayes' suspicion even worse, the man seemed like he was trying to avoid Hayes and act as if he hadn't seen him. When he got a closer look, he realized who it was and was convinced he was dreaming.  
  
 "CARTER?!"


	34. Chapter 34

 Carter tried avoiding Hayes, but he knew it was inevitably a lost cause. Still desperately clinging to faith, Carter nervously chuckled when Hayes approached him.  
  
 "Carter?" Hayes repeated. No person had ever recognized Carter since he looked so strikingly different, but Hayes just had a feeling it was him. He could see through all the physical change.  
  
 "Carter?" Hayes said once more, but Carter was still silent. "Carter, is that you?"  
  
 Taking a few steps back with his hands up, he nervously chuckled even more which only made it more evident.  
  
 "No, I'm Fabian!" Carter lied in defense.  
  
 "You're lying! Dude, I can recognize that voice."  
  
 Since Carter was wearing sunglasses during this conversation, Hayes took them off to reveal the blue contacts he was wearing.  
  
 "WHY ARE YOUR EYES BLUE NOW?!" Hayes gasped. He was so shocked by how much Carter changed, but he could still see a basic similarity.  
  
 "Listen, we stopped being friends eight  _years_ ago!" Carter gave up. "How do you even recognize me? I haven't been spotted once si-"  
   
 "Just because you change your hair and your clothes and your eyes doesn't mean I can't see a goddamn resemblance! You gotta be kidding me!"  
  
 "Why do you care? You  _hated_ me back then! I even betrayed you, cheated on my girlfriend, treated everyone terribly. I was a sad excuse of a human being that I can't understand why you'd like to greet me rather than pretend you didn't see me."  
  
 Hayes sighed, thinking that Carter had made a really good point.   
  
 "Because, you suddenly disappeared a few months after that video went viral," Hayes pointed out. "Remember the video w-"  
  
 "Of course I remember!" Carter said. "I try to acknowledge that I'm a changed man now and I shouldn't let it bother me, although I cannot deny that I regret it so much I often try to forget."  
  
Hayes raised an eyebrow at this, noticing a big difference between 19-year-old Carter and the Carter he was talking to at that moment. It felt like they were two totally different people, and this was very obvious even though they hadn't engaged in much conversation yet.  
  
 "Hey, you sound so different." Hayes pointed out. "What happened?"  
  
 "I've been reading-" Carter began.  
  
 "I didn't mean to sound insulting, by the way. I love it and I'm pro-"  
  
 "I've learned from my ways. I wanted to better myself and learn from my mistakes. Often, I like to sit and read about philosophy. I enjoy meditating as well since I don't have to overthink anything or feel obligated to do something productive... I can just  _be._ "  
  
 Hayes nodded, recognizing his wise words and evident discoveries. There was a peaceful moment of silence until Carter soon continued.  
  
 "The reason why I lied and told you my name was Fabian is actually a good example of why I want to change," Carter added. "I didn't want to be known as Carter Reynolds, the internet Magcon boy who cheated his girlfriend and accused his friend of getting a blowjob from her. Of course I would still be Carter Reynolds, and I still am to this day, but I'm not  _the_ Carter Reynolds. I'm just myself. I am only my soul and my spirit, not my name. My name doesn't define who I am. I feel like my 'name' Carter Reynolds didn't fit who I wanted to be, so I now go by Fabian in hopes of getting a new start. I wanted to be given a chance."  
  
 The boys walked as they talked, admiring the beauty of The Ancient Agora of Athens as they did so. Carter told Hayes all about the philosophy he read about and all of the life lessons he learned over the years while living in Greece, but what was so surprising was that Carter said it all so humbly. He told Hayes as if he were talking about his favorite movie or favorite band, but clearly Carter sounded a lot more intelligent than that. Carter talked about his discoveries as if God led the way for him, and how he just had to listen to him and have faith. Hayes was so proud of Carter that he wished he could tell his fifteen-year-old self that the Carter Reynolds he loathed was now an entirely different person. An entirely different person that was so unearthly and so philosophical, but more importantly, humble and wise. It felt like he was talking to a religious figure.  
  
 "Ever since I moved here, I've had a steadfast faith in God," Carter said. "I trust in him and I truly know he forgives me for my sins. I am not who I was in the past if I can learn from it and use it for me to grow into a better person. He changed me and made me so much happier that I could never fully repay him. I'd love to, but now I watch other people who are like the old me and have faith that God will help them too. God doesn't choose certain people... He loves all people equally. We are all the same in his eyes, and that's because we are. I'm no different than you and you are no different than me. I try to remember that whenever I envy other people, but it is so hard when I look at others. But I truly believe that we are all walking different paths, so we all must respect other people's paths in life and especially respect our own. God is the one who paves our paths, so we can't try to change them. God knows what's best for us and that is what he will make happen."  
  
 Hayes eyes widened. All this happened after only twenty minutes, and not only did it happen fast, but it also happened with the person he least expected to see ever again.   
  
 After Carter's long talk about his new life, Hayes began to grow more fascinated and curious about this new development.  
  
 "Carter, for the longest time I thought you were  _dead!_ " Hayes said with astonishment. "I'm surprised to know that the true story is that you moved to Athens and turned into a totally new person, bu-"  
  
 "I'm not a new person, I'm still learning," Carter pointed out. "We are all evolving and we are doing so at different paces. I am still Carter, just not  _Carter Reynolds._ I hope you understand what I'm trying to say."  
  
 "I geddit, I understand, it's just that I wanna know why you couldn't just stay in Los Angeles and change. Why did you have to go by a different identity?"  
  
 Carter let out a long, deep breath.  
  
 "The reason why I moved was so I could be given a chance," Carter explained. "It may seem I contradict myself when I say I'm the same person yet I look different and adopt a different name, but the truth is I did all of those things only so others could give me a second chance. While I do believe that I must never depend on others, it is also true that people will only accept you if they  _let_  themselves accept you. If I had stayed in LA or even simply kept the same name, no one would give me the chance of sharing their friendship. An individual's change doesn't depend on others, only God, but at the same time it takes a new circle of people in order to express one's new-found inner self. My inner self was always in there, but I hadn't found it yet. Now that I can take on a new 'identity', I can look and feel like my inner self instead of who I used to be. Do you understand what I mean?"  
  
 Hayes nodded, his eyes widened at all the knowledge thrown at him. He was now looking at Carter like he was a God.  
  
 "I understand," Hayes smiled. "I just can't believe it's all coming from you. Forgive me, but it's gonna take a while for me to get used to this."  
  
 "No need to apologize!" Carter grinned. "You keep an open mind and are being very respectful. Hayes,  _I_ apologize for hurting you in the past. My apologies, I truly do regret it more that I'm looking you in the eyes and hearing you speak after so many years. I have regretted it ever since it happened, but now that I am actually speaking to you it hits me even more."  
  
 "I forgive you, really. As you said before, you aren't who you were in the past."  
  
 "Well, I didn't say that. All the wise people I've learned from said it. Thank you for listening to their words, though. It really means a lot to me. You seem to care and it makes me feel even more gratitude for those that have taught me these lessons."  
  
 "Of course I care! This is the best conversation I've had in a long while," Hayes said.  
  
 "Me too, Hayes," Carter replied. "Me too."  
  
 The men both walked off together, exchanging phone numbers and such. They promised to meet again sometime the next day, and with that Carter walked back to his house with the brightest smile on his face. Hayes was grinning, reminiscing the conversation as he walked back to his hotel room to take a short break. Definitely not another vaping break, though. After talking to Holly and hearing her first time experience with cigarettes, he decided he didn't want to smoke anymore. Besides, there was no nicotine in the vape pen, so there was nothing to be hooked on. He could stop without even thinking about it, so there was no problem.  
  
 ---  
  
 Nash and Cam were making out on the couch, Cam's hands wandering under his shirt and trailing up his warm chest. Cam couldn't believe that he was beginning to fall in love with Nash, especially since their romantic relationship had started ever since the phone call with Holly. Originally, the only reason why Cam kissed Nash was because he needed an excuse to reject Holly. He loved Holly in only a friendly way, and he had little to no romantic attraction to her. Although he realized later on that it was probably worse than if he straight-up just said no, he didn't regret his decision since he loved the taste of Nash's sweet lips.   
  
 Cam knew for his whole life that he was bisexual. After all, no person is 100% straight or 100% gay, or really 100% any sexual orientation. Cam felt like he was mostly attracted to females, but Nash and a few other men were an exception. He used to only consider himself a straight man with exceptions, but he knew his attractions with men were far more than just sexual. Cam could see himself dating a man, even marrying a man, and he felt it would be no different than marrying a woman (besides the obvious things like differences in raising a family and such).   
  
 Nash had always known he was gay, only going on pity dates with girls or dating girls in order to hide his sexuality. He remembered in 2014 when he posted the homophobic Vine and the out-roar it caused, and what made it especially memorable was knowing that no one else was in on his secret. This only kept him deeper in the closet, and it almost made him thankful that there was an outcry from the public. It only enabled him to hide his homosexuality even more, and he knew his parents would freak out if they ever found out. So when Cam kissed him during the phone call with Holly, it was a kiss he had been waiting for his whole life.  
  
 Nash felt an instant euphoria when Cam kissed him for the first time. It was Nash's first  _real_ kiss; it was the first kiss that Nash actually felt. He had been growing a small crush on his best friend for some time now, sexual tension especially rising now that the boys practically lived with each other. What devastated Nash in the past was the fact that Cam used to be in a relationship with a woman, so Nash was set on the notion that Cam was straight and would never go for him in a million years. Ironically enough, fate was on his side and the two men grew feelings for each other. After years and years of strong friendship, it was now something more.  
  
 The more Nash and Cam kissed on the couch, touching each other and feeling their hot air, the more the two felt safe. Cam felt like this was the best relationship he had ever been in. Not only was Nash his best friend, but he was also his lover. Nash was everything Cam could possibly ask for, not to mention the fact that Cam couldn't help but look at his lover and wonder how he got so lucky. A man so breathtakingly beautiful in his eyes couldn't be real. It felt too heavenly to be real, but it also felt more real than life itself.  
  
 After a minute of their kissing, the boys got off the couch when they both ripped off their shirts. With a wide smirk on his face, Nash scooped up his friend bridal style and carried him off to the bedroom, both locking loving eyes. Nash dumped him on the bed, Cam having a wide smile on his face as Nash cupped his face and gave a ginger kiss on the lips. He gave sweet kisses up and down his chest when he unzipped his pants and felt his cock get hard. All Nash had to do was throw off Cam's pants for his raging erection to poke out of his boxers. He pulled off his boxers and let free Cam's big throbbing cock, quickly giving him a hand-job as he sucked him off. Cam began moaning loudly when suddenly a figure opened the door.  
  
 "SIERRA?!" Cam shouted, jumping up and covering his dick.  
  
 Both men blushed when they saw a shocked Shawn Mendes standing at the doorway. He shuddered at the sight, deeply regretting his decision to walk in at that time. Shawn wasn't thinking straight at that moment, so he hadn't realized there was moaning sounds coming out of the room even though they were as loud as could be.  
  
 "Uh-uh-uh," Shawn stuttered, his eyes wide. "I'm sorry I walked in. I-I-I...."  
  
 "It's fine," Cam lied. "What did you need?"  
  
 Without realizing, Shawn got a boner from thinking about it. He didn't want to admit that the sight aroused him, so he was quite embarrassed when Nash bluntly pointed it out.  
  
 "You're hard right now," Nash said with a monotone voice.  
  
 Now that Shawn was blushing, trying to cover his pants, still stuttering as he tried to find the right words to say, all three boys were red-faced and embarrassed.   
  
 "I-I just dropped by because I forgot my phone in your room's bathroom," Shawn explained, quickly running to the bathroom and getting his phone. He walked back out and looked at them for a minute.  
  
 "I-I-It's okay," Cam said. "G-Good to see you."  
  
 "Shawn, are you gay?" Nash asked.  
  
 "W-WHAT?!" Shawn nervously laughed. "WHY?! WHY'D YOU ASK-"  
  
 "You know why, SHAWN!" Nash smirked. "You got hard after watching me suck off Cam. Of course I'm gonna ask if you're gay, or at least bi-curious-"  
  
 "No, I'm not gay,  _or_ bi-curious," Shawn half-lied. This was when he fully began to realize he had to stop hiding his bi-curiosity. This could be the chance for him to explore his sexuality.  
  
 Nash and Cam exchanged funny looks, both of them thinking the same thing. Shawn  _had_ to be bi-curious! Someone's in the closet!   
  
 The boys looked back at him with the same expressions, unable to suppress them but also wanting Shawn to warm up and admit it.  
  
 "Then  _why_ did you get a boner?" Cam asked, now getting in on it.  
  
 "You guys, please don't do this," Shawn begged. "I'm really embarrassed and I'm sorry I walked in on you, okay. I di-"  
  
 "Don't be embarrassed," Nash said. "You can come and join us if you want."  
  
 Cam's face lit up, looking at Nash with even greater satisfaction. He knew they were both thinking the same thing:  _threesome!_  
  
 "W-W-B-Wait  _what?!_ " Shawn was so caught off guard that he couldn't tell if this was real life. "Really?! You're asking me to have a threesome with you guys?"  
  
 "DUH!" Nash said sarcastically.  
  
 "Come on, take off your clothes and get in the bed!" Cam chirped.  
  
 Shawn smirked and quickly ripped off his clothes, jumping on the bed with the boys. Nash's eyes widened, star eyes darting at Shawn's dick. It was so big he thought about wrapping his lips around it and sucking it, making Nash start to have a raging boner. He couldn't control himself: he just went in for it and began sucking off Shawn. Shawn's loud moans only turned on Nash more, Nash licking his foreskin and leaving Shawn to want more. It aroused Cam to see Nash suck off a handsome boy, so he started to jerk off Nash. Nash was melting at this point, sucking off the beautiful Shawn Mendes while also getting the best hand-job he had ever gotten. Now Cam was sucking Nash's dick, and as this went on Shawn stuck his dick in Nash's tight asshole. Nash let out a loud scream at this, Shawn thrusting quickly into his ass. Screaming Shawn's name, Nash was also moaning from the feeling of Cam sucking his balls. Cam stopped sucking when he slapped Shawn's soft ass, fingering his asshole and sending even more loud moans in the room. Then Cam stuck his dick in Shawn's asshole, all of this being so much to take. Shawn came in Nash's asshole which made Nash collapse and fall on the bed, leaving Nash's ass wet and full of cum.  
  
 Shawn was moaning even louder when Cam grabbed his balls and thrusted even harder, Nash too tired out to join them, but nonetheless still smiling at the sight. Eventually, Cam pulled out and came all over Shawn's and Nash's faces. Both boys collapsed on the bed and cuddled, smiling at each other once they made eye contact.   
  
 "Was that your first time ever fucking a guy?" Nash asked Shawn.  
  
 "Yeah," Shawn said.   
  
 "It was mine, too."  
  
 "Same," Cameron added.  
  
 "Not so curious now, are ya, Shawn?" Nash joked.  
  
 Shawn half-chuckled and looked up at the ceiling, feeling the excitement rush through him.  
  
 "Not at all," Shawn grinned. "Not at all."


	35. Chapter 35

 Holly was shocked when she got a text from Hayes. It wasn't the fact that she got a text from him, but rather the fact that he said---

 "Please come to Athens with me!" Hayes texted.

 "No!" Holly quickly texted back, neurotically moving her eyes from the screen to the white board so she could hide her phone from Mr. Stein. She was currently in geometry, the third hour of the day, the hour right before lunch when her stomach was grumbling and she couldn't wait to talk to her best friends. She was lucky to have one of her best friends, Fox, in her class, and since they didn't have assigned seats they sat with each other every day. The rest of the kids in the class were hilarious as well and always made the class hyped up, so it was a class she enjoyed a lot. Plus, Mr. Stein was a really chill teacher that was also good at teaching, so that made it one of Holly's favorite classes.

 "Psst, Holly!" Fox whispered. Holly jerked her head at her friend with wide eyes.

 "Yeah?" Holly whispered back.

 "Nothing, I'm just saying that if you're gonna text your boyfriend, you should prolly 'go to the bathroom'."

 "Right. Thanks, b."

 Holly put away her phone and raised her hand, asking to go to the bathroom. Mr. Stein said yes and off she went, casually walking out of the room. As soon as she was out the door, she hurriedly pulled out her phone, nervous about the reply she would get from Hayes. When she got back to the texts, she saw that Hayes had already replied and had something he was still typing.

 "Why not?" Hayes texted. "I'll pay for your ticket and everything!"

 "Hayes, you're gonna get broke after all this travelling! Paying for me to come with you only adds to it!" Holly replied.

 "Holly, I'm hella rich. I told you I'm good at what I do."

 "But that doesn't mean you have all the money in the world! That's not even the reason I don't wanna go. The only reason why I can't go with you is because I can't miss school. Plus, Jay is gonna start getting concerned if I'm leaving all the time. He was already weirded out when I was in Los Angeles for like two weeks."

 "You'd only have to stay for a week," Hayes said. "Or even less than that if you're really concerned."

 "I would love to go, but I would miss countless assignments! It would be unrealistic for me to go to Athens for that long and not expect a shitload of work to do when I got back." Holly pointed out.

 "Well, it's your decision. I'd be happy to pay for your ticket, so maybe you should ask your teachers to excuse your homework for a week. It sounds stupid, but I did it all the time when I was in school. If it doesn't work, then I don't know what else to say. But no matter what comes of it, I can't make you come. It's your choice :)"

 Holly entered the girls' bathroom and sat in a stall, enjoying the emptiness of it. There were always girls crowded in the bathroom before class, so it felt nice that she was cutting some class time without breaking the rules. She loved empty bathrooms at school because it meant a break of freedom. It wasn't as if she felt imprisoned in school, but it was nice to take a small break in an empty stall.

 Thinking about the rest of the week, and especially about what Hayes said about excusing homework, she knew that she would have to choose a week when there wouldn't be a lot of work. It was almost the end of September and they had already covered a lot in school, so maybe taking a small break wouldn't hurt? She didn't know. One thing she knew for a fact, however, was that her teachers wouldn't excuse her homework for a week in a million years, so she threw that idea away to avoid the embarrassment and regret that would come out of it.

 Now she got the idea that she could ask about the homework for the week. Did that make her sound like a teacher's pet? Her teachers knew well that she wasn't a teacher's pet, however she was always respectful and they liked her very much. Holly knew this, and it always made her happy to think about since it made her feel loved, so she decided that was what she would do. If they didn't have a lot planned, off to Athens she went! She had always wanted to go to Athens, even more-so when she looked back at her phase of being obsessed with Ancient Greece back when they learned about the ancient world in freshman year. That was such a good year, the phase impacting the greatness of the year even more, that she had to go to Athens for the sake of her fourteen-year-old self. Additionally, she had never been outside the country and she'd love to visit the beautiful Athens.

 At the end of every class that day, she asked what work they would be receiving for the rest of the week. In all her classes, they were receiving little to no work, so much to her luck she could go to Athens. When asked why by her teachers as to why she wanted to know, she explained that she was visiting Athens with family, so they all got excited for her and wished her an enjoyable and safe trip. By the end of the day, she was grinning from ear to ear as she ran to the bus with her book bag. Right when she found her squad on the bus, she beamed as she told them about the trip to Athens she'd be taking that night. They were all happy for her, even the people on the bus she didn't like as much, and they had ecstatic, hyped conversation about it for the rest of the bus ride. Right when the bus stopped at her house, she ran as fast as she could out of the bus and to Uncle Jay's apartment, panting heavily when she stopped in the elevator and punched in the room level. She knelt on the floor, holding her leg as she panted, staring at the wallpaper in the elevator that was decorated with blue strips and painted pink roses: a typical vintage-style elevator. 

 "This has to be someone's aesthetic," She said to herself out loud as she stayed in her position.

 When the elevator stopped at her floor, she picked herself up and casually walked out. Holly was now getting herself together, fixing up her hair and school uniform to look presentable when she'd pop the question to Jay. She was nervous at what he'd say even though he wasn't strict, being a good-natured and relaxed guy, but she wasn't sure what he'd think after her long trip in Los Angeles. He'd be worried that she's trying to run away!

 Her mind racing with worry, she felt the real nerves kick in when she rested her hand on the door knob.

 "Don't worry, he's gonna be nice about it," She told herself as she opened the door. The door opened to an expectant Uncle Jay, standing before her with a curious look and a cup of coffee in his hand.

 "What's he gonna be nice about?" Jay asked, referring to the small pep talk she was giving herself.

 Blushing at his reaction, she hated how he mocked her small talk with herself.  _Don't worry, everyone talks to themselves,_ Holly thought. Even though he wasn't mocking her maliciously, only playfully, she couldn't help but feel a bit personally offended.  _He's just being a jerk._

 Letting out a deep breath, she finally worked up the courage to ask him, telling herself it wasn't a big deal.

 "Hey, uh, Jay," She began. "Yeah, I was just... I wanted to ask you a question."

 "G-G-Go ahead," He chuckled at her nerves. "It's okay, Holls. You don't gotta be nervous to ask me anything! I'm your father now!"

 She felt her insides warm up when he said "I'm your father now". He  _was_ her father now... Her  _hot_ father. She didn't want to admit to herself that he was handsome, but he was! Jay was a cute young guy, so what wasn't there to like?!

 Anyway, she felt her face warm up when she started smiling.

 "I just wondered if you were cool with me going to Athens for a week?" She finally fessed up. "Hayes is taking me, and I'd be leaving tonight. He's paying for my ticket."

 Jay was silent for a moment when he started laughing. Not hysterically, just a laugh where you could tell it was because of something that wasn't from what she said.

 "What is it?" Holly blushed.

 "Holly, do you have a sugar daddy?" He asked.

 "W-W--- Is  _that_ why you laughed?!"

 He nodded, getting himself together when he finally explained himself.

 "Listen, Hayes isn't that old!" He began. "Hell, he's younger than me, but you never know who's doing what nowadays. If he's your sugar daddy I won't care."

 "NO!" She defended herself. "He isn't my sugar daddy! He's just my boyfriend!"

 "Oooh, your  _boy_ friend!" He joked playfully.

 "Stop, it's not like that!" She blushed, trying to cover her smile.

 "It's okay, it's okay! I'm just messing with ya! Of course you can go on the trip! As long as you promise to make up any missing work at school, okay?"

 "Okay," Holly nodded. "But today I asked all my teachers if we were getting any work this week and they said no."

 "Terrific!" He beamed. "To Athens you go! You better start packing, Holls. Tell me when to drive you there, okay?"

 She ran up to him and hugged him, smiling in his chest.

 "Thanks so much!" She grinned, running out of his arms to fetch her suitcase and throw her clothes in there. Leaving a wonder-struck Jay behind, he stood for a moment as he felt his face get hot.  _She loves me,_ He thought.  _My niece really loves me. She's my daughter now, she has to be._

 Holly threw in clothes and everything else she needed for travelling, and when she finished she texted Hayes and told her. Hayes read it, and after a moment he finally replied.

 "Great, I just booked your flight," Hayes said. "Hope you're ready by 6:30 PM, baby girl <3"

  "Thanks so much!" She texted back.

 He gave her all the information about the flight and all the other essentials, so she showed Jay and off she went to get ready. Picking out an outfit to wear, she was trying to think about whether or not she would see Hayes by the end of the night.  _It's probably gonna take 13 hours, so wear something comfy. He's not gonna see me until I walk into the hotel room, anyway!_

 Deciding based on this logic, she put on a pair of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air sweatpants and a black t-shirt. When she was finished, she walked out of her room with her suitcase and Uncle Jay drove her to the airport, ready for the adventure of her life.

 ---

 On the plane, in the first hour of the flight, Holly began thinking about Nash and the other guys. She wondered what they were doing in that moment, knowing nothing about the threesome that happened with Nash and Cam and Shawn. Then she remembered when Cam confessed a bit too confidently that he was in a relationship with Nash, so she decided to request a video call with Nash. When he finally picked up, she saw that Nash was sitting in his room, Sky sitting in the background watching a reality show on his flat screen TV.

 "What's up, Doc?" He said with a lazy voice.

 "Hey, I'm on a plane to Athens so I can go and see Hayes," She replied.

 "Oh, nice. That crazy kid... He's in one place one minute and the next minute he's in a whole different part of the world. I dunno how to tame that kid, I really don't."

  
 "Me either, Nash, me either! I'm excited to go, though. And he was nice enough to pay for me to go!"

 "That's great! The lil bitch would never do something that nice for me."

 Holly chuckled.

 "He's a meanie pie!" Nash joked.

 "He is!" Holly joked back. "I don't even know why I still talk to the mediocre bastard!"

 "Calm on the language, now! You're on a public plane; show some respect!" He said sarcastically.

 "No, no. Literally  _everyone_ on this plane is sleeping and it has only been a little bit more than an hour!" As she said this, she flipped the camera and showed the rest of the plane. She wasn't over-exaggerating: literally  _every single person_ in her section was sleeping except for one Korean-looking man who was reading a book.

 "Wow, you got a lazy plane!" He said once she flipped the camera back to her face. "Your vulgar language might make them up!"

 "Oh, shut up!" She giggled.

 "So how long are you staying there? In Athens?" Nash asked.

 "I'm staying for a week," Holly replied. "I'm gonna--- OH! OH! Sorry, I got something to ask you, real quick!"

 "Uh, yeah? What is it?"

 "I wanted to ask you about you and Cam! I remembered the phone call with me and him when you guys kissed and all that, so I wondered what was going on with you guys now."

 "'When you guys kissed and all that'," Nash repeated with a snicker. "Well, me and Cam are dating now. Uh, I guess we're almost ready to go steady, so yeah. I guess we're dating."

 "That's great!" She said with fake enthusiasm. Holly was starting to like Cam, so she was disappointed that he wasn't even attracted to her. Little did she know that he was bisexual, but she didn't believe bisexuality was a thing.

 "I know, right?! I never saw it coming, but to be completely honest, I've always had a thing for him! I never wanted to admit to myself I was gay, and look where I am now! Now I can be in a  _real_ relationship and actually have romantic attraction! I know it doesn't sound like a big deal, but it is really exciting to me."

 "Oh no, no! Of course it's a big deal! I'm so happy for you!"

 "Yeah, thanks. I'm so happy it worked out."

 "Yeah, I was just shocked he told me in  _that way,_ you know?"

 He laughed at the memory and sighed.

 "Yeah, I know," Nash said. "That was really funny, and not even  _I_ expected him to break the news like that! I had no idea, I really didn't."

 Holly sighed.

 "Yeah," She said. "But I better go now. I'm getting pretty tired and I'm ready to sleep like everyone else in my section. I gotta go. Bye Nashville!"

 "WEAAAAK!  _WEAAAAK!"_ He joked at her need to sleep.

 She laughed as she hung up, and when she put her phone away, she fell asleep and had a dream about being at a ski resort with Cam and Nash. In the dream, Nash's brother Will was there and he was being a jerk to Cam. Will started punching Cam, so in response she punched Will back. After this, Cam kissed her as a thank you. This left Holly confused when she woke up, being woken up by a man sitting next to her. There was an announcement by the pilot that they had landed and they were instructed to leave the plane and retrieve their luggage.

 Dazed and confused, still entranced by her dream, she followed the pilot's orders and made her way into the airport. Amazed at the beautiful nighttime scenery of Athens, she still couldn't stop herself from thinking about the dream. What did this mean?


	36. Chapter 36

Athens was breathtaking. The blue Mediterranean waters glimmered in the nighttime, the calming breeze brushing the faces of those who passed it, the warm silky air massaging Holly's legs. When she got to the hotel, she took in the smooth smell of paradise as soon as she walked in. After she finished settling her business with getting a room with Hayes, she pranced around the quiet halls as she made her way to the elevator, falling to the floor as soon as she got there and resting her tired head on her suitcase. She let out an exhausted sigh as she looked up at the decorated midnight blue and golden elevator doors. The colors were beautiful and took Holly back to the night sky of Greece she got to peak at upon leaving the airport.  
  
 "I'm fortunate I got to experience this by myself," She said to herself. "I need some time away from the world. I wanna stay here forever in solitude. I'm sick of everyone else and I'm here to take a break."  
  
 ---  
  
 The elevator doors opened for her to get out, so she lifted herself up and hauled her suitcase to Hayes' door. She put in the room key and entered the room to see a sleeping Hayes, and this was when Holly realized she was happy to see him. She couldn't help but smile at him... Hayes looked so cute when he was sleeping! His face looked soft and sweeter.  _I don't think I wanna be alone anymore,_ She thought.  
  
 She changed out of her shirt and pants that were feeling a bit baggy. When she looked at herself in the mirror, she realized she had lost a little weight. Not too much, but maybe 10 or 15 pounds. This was a lot for Holly, so she was happy to see that she was losing a little chub without doing anything.  
  
 Holly crawled on top of the cold, relaxing covers and melted under the sheets next to Hayes. She smiled when she accidentally got a touch of his skin. It felt so warm... He was like a human heater.   
  
 "I need some body heat," She whispered to herself and she held a sleeping Hayes in her arms. She melted into his chest and kissed his cheek. "That sounded weird, but whatever."  
  
 Holly started stroking his cheek, thinking about how beautiful he was. Then she remembered that she was supposed to be breaking up with him, but now she knew that she couldn't do that. Holly still had feelings for him, and this moment only made them stronger. This was when she knew there was no way she could end their relationship. Not even the most dangerous of mobs could stop her from wanting to be with him. She was tired of letting something she hardly knew anything about scare her away from the people she loved most.  
  
 "I love you, Hayes," She whispered to him as she kissed him on the cheek with a smile. And with that, she fell asleep still cuddling Hayes. He was about to wake up to a pleasant surprise!  
  
 ---  
  
 Hayes woke up to a pleasant warm embrace, looking over and grinning to see that it was his lover. He kissed her on the forehead which coincidentally woke her up.  
  
 "Good morning, princess," He grinned. "I see you made it here quite mysteriously."  
  
 "I work in mysterious ways," Holly sarcastically replied. "I always like to surprise people."  
  
 "I can tell. It's shocking that we're even talking to each other right now, knowing that we met each other on a public bus."  
  
 "Yeah," She chuckled. "What's even more shocking is that we're practically dating." She knew it was risky to add that they were 'practically waiting', so she felt tense as she waited for his reply.  
  
 "What do you mean? We are dating!" Hayes beamed.  
  
 "Really?" She was a bit taken aback from this. A BOYFRIEND?! She never thought she'd get one of those in her whole life! Not only that, but it was who she thought was the sweetest, most handsome and relatable men she had ever met.  
  
 "Of course!"  
  
 And with that, Hayes got on top of her and passionately kissed her on the lips, holding her face. Holly felt an electric rush, kissing him back.  
  
 "I love you," She whispered. "I really love you, I really really do."  
  
 Hayes kissed her once more.  
  
  "I love you, too," He whispered back. He smoothly got out of the bed, still locking eyes with his lover. They had a moment of staring at each other, unable to fathom the other's beauty, until Hayes walked away and left Holly in awestruck.  
  
 ---  
  
 Cam had nothing to do with his time, and it was the day after Sierra's birthday, and every year this day was inevitably so boring and Cam could never figure out why. Maybe perhaps her birthday was so happy and the next could never compare, but even the most dull of days could never compare to the day after her birthday. He woke up with a bad feeling in his stomach knowing that the date was September 28th. It was so bad that even upon waking up and looking at the calendar, he couldn't help but sigh once he saw that Sierra's 7th birthday crossed off.  
  
 "Shit, it's  _that_ day," He said to himself.   
  
 He didn't want to get out of bed, but the knock at the door forced him to. Cam growled to himself as he opened the door as soon as he could muster a fake smile.  
  
 "Hey Cam," A beaming Nash was standing at the door. "May I come in?"  
  
 "Of course!" Cam said, allowing him to walk in. "Thanks for coming to Sierra's birthday party! She loves the Barbies you bought for her!"  
  
 "Aw! I'm so glad to hear that she likes them!"  
  
 Cam closed the door behind Nash. They took their usual seats on the couch so they could talk.  
  
 "Of course, you know Sierra better than anybody!" Cam smiled.  
  
 "Well, I'm practically her  _second dad,"_ Nash half-joked. When Cam got it, he laughed and gave Nash a high five.  
  
 "Nice one, Grier," Cam replied.  
  
 "Really, Cam. I'm her second dad. How wouldn't I be?"  
  
 When Cam realized that Nash was being serious, this deeply touched his heart. Not only did Nash care about Sierra, but he also cared about  _him._  
  
 "Aw, Nash!" Cam wrapped his arms around him in an embracing hug. "You're so sweet!"  
  
 "Baby, I mean it," Nash gave him a peck on the cheek as they let go of each other. "You know I care about your daughter, and I definitely care about you. A  _lot._  This isn't just half-assed 'experimenting with boys'. I really do have feelings for you and I'd love to start a relationship with you."  
  
 Cam nervously chuckled a bit. He didn't know how to describe his feelings without Nash taking it the wrong way.   
  
 "What is it?" Nash reacted to the laughing.  
  
 "Sorry, I just--- I don't know how to tell you this... It's all just going by really fast and I can't keep up. Trust me, the feeling is mutual and there is no doubt in my mind that I want to start a relationship with you, but at the same time it has been less than a month and I don't think I'm ready to be committed yet." Cam explained nervously.  
  
 "Don't think of it as a commitment! Love should just be  _love._ It's not work and it's not hard! It's  _love._ That pisses me off so much!"  
  
 "Look, babe, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to say it like it was work or that it's something to pledge to! I just meant that I'm not sure if I'm ready to have my first boyfriend. I'm still getting adjusted to these feelings and I need time to fully be ready to be with a man. It's a big change for me."  
  
 "Cam, it's a big change for me too!" Nash pointed out. "Do you really think I wanted to admit to everyone that I was  _gay?!_ To even admit it to  _myself?!_ It is a big deal to me that I'm willing to finally be able to be myself, possibly sacrificing what other people think of me. People can be quick to judge and this is finally my chance to show them that I don't care. This is my chance to prove that I have the power to do whatever I want and be happy with myself, and you should take it as a chance too."  
  
 "But I'm a rapper! Rap is known to have a lot of homophobia and I don't know if I'll be respected or not," Cam said. "Don't think that I'm ashamed of you or ashamed that I'm attracted to men, it's just that I need time to tell myself that I'm with a man and I'm gonna be with him for the rest of my life. Neither of us have ever been with a man before so we need to take baby steps."  
  
 "How is it any different than being with a woman? Really. The only difference is that there's a social stigma around being with a man. We are all exactly the same, so why should we limit our options to what's 'normal'? You wouldn't need to get used to being with a woman, so why should you have to get used to being with a man? I don't see the difference."  
  
 "It's a lot to explain, okay? It's really hard to explain, and no matter what I say, it isn't gonna come out right. Just please understand that I want to start something with you, but---"  
  
 "I'm not gonna force you into a relationship," Nash said calmly. "I respect your choices and I know that this is weird for you. It's weird for me too. I just wish we could start something bigger. We're already practically dating, so why not make it into the real thing?"  
  
 Cam sighed. Now he believed Nash, and this was when he realized that Nash was right.  
  
 "Nash, you're right," Cam confessed. "Now I feel ready."  
  
 "Really, I don't wanna pressure you into-"  
  
 "Nash, I want to be with you."  
  
 Cam pressed his lips against his, and then they stared into each other's eyes for a moment.  
  
 "I'm not just saying it. You're right, Nash, you're so right," Cam continued. "I'm tired of waiting. We gotta make it happen."  
  
 Nash smiled and kissed him back.  
  
 "So, will you be my boyfriend?" He asked.  
  
 "Of course!" Cam beamed.  
  
 They wrapped their arms around each other and gave one last kiss. This kiss felt so passionate and so real that the boys felt an electric burst, neither of them wanting to leave the other's gaze or warm embracing arms. Now they felt more connected than they had ever before.


	37. Chapter 37

This was hard for Taylor. He was watching all his childhood friends fall in love with each other, and nowhere in sight was there a lover for him. He wasn't attracted to Holly, and he definitely wasn't gay for any of the boys. Then Mahogany Lox came to his mind, but soon he realized that he wasn't attracted to her either and at this point he was just desperate. When would a lover come his way and take his breath away? He was growing impatient and needed a lover fast. But he wanted it to happen naturally... He wanted it to happen when he least expected it. This was when true love would begin, and it would begin slowly and start out very doubtful, but still sort of knowing in the back of his head that something was starting. Then later on, he would be obsessed. Deeply in love with the girl he met out of the blue! But where would he find her? Would he ever find her?  
  
All of these thoughts were beginning to make Taylor feel depressed. He didn't know what to do with himself so he went outside to take a walk and clear his mind. Los Angeles was always busy, the streets never failing to be crowded with blurred faces. They all looked the same to him: they all were dismal and looking for something. At least that was how he interpreted it. He didn't want to admit this to anyone, but he felt like he had all the answers. Not entirely about himself, but about the world around him. Taylor felt like the world was depressed. Everyone was seeking something, their eyes on the prize and not what truly matters. He never defined what it was that truly mattered, but that was something he had to have a talk with himself about. Whenever he had gotten into deep talks with his friends, which happened more frequently to him due to his intense psyche, he would always beat around the bush when it came to how he thought of the world. While he didn't want to sound like a teenager on Wattpad that had life "all figured out" and knew all the keys and secrets to life, that was who he was. He couldn't admit it to himself, and this was what he thought about as he walked through the streets. Maybe  _this_ could be the reason he didn't have a girlfriend! No, no. That only added insult to injury. Now he was starting to think that he was gonna die alone. He hadn't had a girlfriend in a year, so when would he ever get one? Would he die alone, or was he just being dramatic?  
  
  _What's the point of this?_ Taylor thought.  _This is dumb as hell. I'm wasting my time. I made myself feel like shit for nothing, and now this is my price. Fuck it, I'm just gonna go to the gym and lift my problems away._  
  
 Right when he turned back to walk back home, it was like a scene in a movie. He wasn't looking where he was going, so he hit something really hard and feel over. Cursing himself in whispers as he got up, he looked to see what that thing was.  
  
 "I'm so sorry!" A girl said as she lifted herself off the ground, her palm resting on her head.  
  
 Was this really happening?! This was too cliche to be happening!  
  
 The girl had wavy brown hair and blue eyes. She was tan, short as hell with a chunky body and a beautiful face. Taylor knew God was humoring himself and made this happen: he knew he would tempt him with a stranger.  
  
 "I-I-It's okay, it's okay!" He stuttered, trying to gather composure, still unable to fathom the fact that he would never see this girl ever again. He hadn't even met her, but he was so desperate he had to take a chance. "I'm sorry!"  
  
 "It's fine. I wasn't looking."  
  
 As she walked off, he quickly caught up with her and tried to make conversation. He didn't want to leave her forever; Taylor was taking this as a sign from God. This girl had to be a gift from heaven: right when Taylor was convinced he would die alone forever, he found  _her._ It may seem cliche, but he truly felt it. Maybe the movies were getting into his head too much.   
  
 Luckily for the girl, this was exactly what she wanted. She knew well that this would tempt Taylor and make him want to approach her.  
  
 "Hey, do I know you from somewhere? You look really familiar," He lied, acting smooth and serene.  
  
 "Uh, I don't think so," She nervously chuckled. She seemed like a very nice girl; she had a friendly aura about her that was clear and evident. Even her voice sounded calm and collected... It was dark and genial. "Have we met? I feel like I've seen you before but I don't know where."  
  
 "Yeah, maybe you remember me fro-"  
  
 "Magcon! That's it!"  
  
 He mentally shrugged. He didn't want to be remembered for being in Magcon, but hey: at least she recognized him.  
  
 "Yeah, yeah," He nodded.  
  
 "I went to a meet and greet once. Maybe I saw you there?" She added.  
  
 "Yeah, it feels like so long ago... I was thinking I knew you from somewhere else, so sorry I stopped you."  
  
 "No, no, I'm glad you stopped me! Those were some good times. Back then I didn't even know about you guys at the time! To be honest, my younger sister dragged me there because she was a huge fan. After it I started to like it though."  
  
 Half of this was a lie. The part about her being dragged there by her sister was all true, but she never liked them afterwards. She thought they were all fuckboys, but they were pretty cute. However, the only thing she truly cared about was her plan, so she would lie at all costs just to get what she wanted.  
  
 "Oh, I'm glad! We didn't even do anything... All we did was stupid stuff to make you guys laugh," Taylor half-joked.  
  
 "Well, it was entertaining," She chuckled. "So you're.... Taylor Caniff?"  
  
 "Yeah, and you are?"  
  
 "Ah, I'm Rania."  
   
 "Rania... That's a sexy name."  
  
 "Thanks," She smiled.  
  
 "Of course," He smirked. "Hey, are you going anywhere?"  
  
 "No, I just got back from the movie theater. Why?"  
  
 "Well, I was wondering if maybe you'd wanna hang out. Maybe we can talk about Magcon or something, whatever you're into. Whatcha think?"  
  
 "Uh, sure. Sounds fun." Rania thought it was weird that he was hanging out with a "stranger", and she liked to think that only reason why she was doing it was so she could tell her friends that she did so. Now that she realized how much of a nice guy he was, she was reconsidering her plan. Did she really have to do this for boss? How many people can say that they bumped into Taylor Caniff on the street and hung out with him? Not many, so why would she ruin it by punishing him for something he did to Boss and not her? Knowing this was a risky thing to do, she still did it just for kicks. Why not try to please Boss?  
  
 "Great! Maybe we could hang out at my place?" Taylor offered.  
  
 "Uh, maybe we could go to my place," Rania said. "I just got settled in my new apartment and I'd love to show you! Wanna go check it out?"  
  
 "Sure! I'd love to!"   
  
 "Great! Follow me."  
  
 She walked off with Taylor right behind her tail. He tried to tame himself, but he couldn't stop staring at her ass.  
  
 ---  
  
 The apartment complex she lived at was situated in Grand Avenue. It looked quite Greek-inspired and typical of apartments in Los Angeles. When they walked in, Rania grew what Taylor couldn't tell was either a sweet grin or mischievous smirk. Nonetheless, he still followed her to the stairs where they ran up a few levels.  _Is this my love?_ Taylor thought.  _Could this be the love of my life? What did I get myself into? I don't know, but I'm happy I did._  
  
Once they got to the door, Rania fidgeted with her keys until she found the correct one and unlocked the door. When she opened it, a modest and neat apartment appeared in front of them. They both walked in, Taylor being careful not to make the floor dirty. It was so neat he felt that even the slightest of movement could make a mess in the room. Rania noticed this and laughed at it. She found his vulnerability quite endearing.   
  
 "Don't worry, you don't have to be so careful," She pointed out.  
  
 This softened him up a bit. Now he felt less tense and made him feel like he was in a safe, judgment-free place. He took off his shoes by the door and she gestured him to the couch. She asked if he wanted anything to drink or eat and he said no thank you. So they sat down together and relaxed for a moment in silence. After a moment, Taylor wrapped his arm around Rania, hoping she would notice. She did notice, blushing a bit, but at the same time she felt it was a bit strange. Why would you do that to a stranger? Did he even think of her as a person or just arm candy?  
  
 "So Taylor," She said, trying to break the silence. She didn't want to make it awkward and move his arm, but Taylor was getting vibes that she didn't like it, so he put his arm off her and rested it on his side.  
  
 "Yes?" He replied somewhat sarcastically.  
  
 "What have you been doing since Magcon?"  
  
 "What have I been doing since Magcon? Well, I've been playing a lot of basketball and making YouTube videos. That's really all I've been doing as a career. I'm a lazy guy so I could never get a 'real' job working eight hours and five days a week. That's just not how I do."  
  
 Rania nodded, realizing this was no different than meeting a stranger at a bar and taking them home afterwards... Except for the fact that they met on the street.  _And_ that she was going to do some pretty evil stuff to him. But she went to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water, sipping it as she walked back to the couch. This was all part of her plan.  
  
 "So you play basketball and make YouTube videos?" Rania repeated him as she walked back in.  
  
 He nodded.  
  
 "What kind of YouTube videos?" She asked. "Like vlogs, gaming, just whatever..."  
  
 "I basically make videos of myself talking about whatever and post them for people to see," Taylor answered. "I just talk about whatever I wanna talk about. People seem to enjoy them, I mean I'm not the most popular, but I still have a good following that's especially full of old fans. Do you watch YouTube?"  
  
 "Yeah, I do. It's really all I ever do, to be quite honest... I'll be sitting at work just watching YouTube videos until I get a call. And I only get, like, three calls a day so I'm watching  _a lot_ of videos!"  
  
 "What's your job?"  
  
 "Oh, I just work for tech support. If somebody's having a problem, they call me, and I simply read out of a handbook they give me and it's all good. It's a pretty easy job and it pays the bills so I have nothing to complain about."  
  
 Taylor was losing interest in the conversation, and Rania wanted to move on to more compelling topics, but both of them had different interpretations in how to do so. Completely disregarding what happened just minutes previous, he tried again and wrapped his arm around Rania. She looked at him with wide eyes, so Taylor awkwardly smiled and pulled her in closer. Obviously he didn't know how to handle situations well, let alone how to treat women.  
  
 Rania resorted to finally starting her plan. Out of the blue, she smashed her glass cup against Taylor's hard skull and quickly jumped up in self-aid. Gory cuts marked the side of his face that were soaking up his weak hands as he rested his palm on the wound. His face was skewed in pain and he was left unable to believe what just happened. The world before him looked like a blur shaded by his tears.  
  
 "BITCH, YOU COULD'VE JUST TOLD ME YOU DIDN'T WANT ME TO TOUCH YOU!" He growled.  
  
 "That's not why I did it," Rania smugly replied as she pushed and shoved him into her bedroom. Using all the strength that she could muster, she rammed his much-larger body into her closet and quickly shut it, swiftly pressing the lock and running out of her apartment. She left Taylor in his prison to be screaming and crying for help, but unfortunately there was no one to his aid. Now  _that_ is why it isn't smart to talk to strangers.  
  
 ---  
  
 Hayes was woken up in the middle of the night when he got a phone call from Taylor. Not in the mood to talk to his fulminated friend, he nonetheless answered the phone and whispered so he wouldn't wake up his lover Holly whom he was spooning at the moment.  
  
 "What's up?" Hayes greeted.  
  
 "HAAAAYES! THIS GIRL ON THE STREET KIDNAPPED ME AND NOW I'M LOCKED IN HER CLOSET!" Taylor yelped. "PLEASE HELP ME! PLEEEEEASE! HER PLACE IS ON GRAND AVENUE AND IS IN A BIG WHITE BUILDING! JUST PLEASE! PLEASE HELP ME!"  
  
 "You WHAT?!"  
  
 "PLEASE GET ME OUTTA HERE!" Taylor desperately pleaded. "I NEED YOU!"  
  
 "Dude, call the police! I'm in Greece right now and I sure as hell ain't flying back so I can help you a day later! Figure it out yourself."   
  
 Hayes hung up. He knew that his reply was rather hostile, but the situation was crazy and he didn't feel like dealing with it. He couldn't even believe it was real, but there was always chaos in LA, especially in their friend group. Trouble was unavoidable and it was inevitably in ever corner. That's what happens when you live your whole life as a troublemaker.  
  
 On a totally different side of the world, there was a wailing Taylor looking for help. Right when he dialed the last 1 in '911', much to his luck, his phone died. That proved his luck in a nutshell.  
  
 Now he was cursing loudly, cursing his life and how vacuous he was to call Hayes instead of the police. How couldn't he think of that?! Why did he have to waste his one chance of getting help and have such a hollow mind whenever he was in trouble! You'd think that by being in trouble he would have a sharper mind, but no one is smart in the heat of the moment. That is when a person's survival skills are really questioned and put to the test. But Taylor wasn't going to tolerate games and he sure as hell wasn't up for being tested.  
  
 He tried breaking down the door, but to no avail. Taylor was up for no match with the sturdy door that was locking him out of the outside world. If he had never agreed to go home with her, then none of this would have happened. Unfortunately, although the year was 2023, there was still no such thing as time travelers or teleportation, so he was screwed. Had Rania planned this? Did she really plan finding a man on the street and locking him up, because nobody seemed to be on the ball... Not even her.  _Especially_ not her.  
  
 ---  
  
 A few long hours go by and a hungry and lonely Taylor is still sitting in the closet, drenched in tears along with a hideous migraine. He has now come to terms with that he's probably going to spend the rest of his life in that closet, and now his only questions left are why Rania would do such a thing.   
  
 It was late at night and he heard the door slam open. Loud footsteps emerge closer and closer into the living room and then seep eerily into the bedroom. His heart skipped a beat when he heard Rania come up and unlock the door. Before he can jump out of the closet, Rania firmly grabs him by the wrist and slaps him across the face. She slams him into the wall and starts howling in his face.  
  
 "TELL ME WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT HAYES!" She howls.  
  
 "HAAAAYES?!" Taylor repeated in shock.  
  
 "OF COURSE YOU KNOW, NOW TELL ME!"  
  
 "WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME?!"  
  
 "YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO BOSS, DON'T FUCKING LIE TO ME!"  
  
 "BOSS?!" Taylor repeated. Now he could tell when this was all coming together. "Wait a minute... Is this all part of Hayes' mafia business?!"  
  
 Rania's eyes widened.  
  
 "Y-y-you really don't know about what's going on,  _do you?_ " Rania said.  
  
 He nodded, the rest of his body shaking uncontrollably.   
  
 She sighed. Now she realized that she locked him in a closet for nothing, but the thrill of hitting him with a glass made her not regret it.  
  
 "Well, your buddy Hayes killed my boyfriend," Rania explained with a harsh tone in her voice. "He was the  _boss,_ and now he's dead. The mafia isn't just a  _gang,_ you know, it's a  _society._ And when you outrage a whole  _society,_ you're gonna find yourself in some trouble, aren't ya?!"  
  
 Taylor gulped.  
  
 "So now you betta tell me where that boy is or you're gonna be going back in that closet!" Rania threatened.  
  
 "HE'S IN GREECE!" Taylor selfishly confessed.   
  
 He knew it was wrong, but he really didn't want to go back to that closet. Being a very selfish man overall, he would rather sacrifice his friend than sacrifice himself, and that was how Rania knew he would be the perfect candidate to force the details from. She was evil, but she was also brilliant. She was an evil genius.  
  
 "Thank you," She smirked. "Now you betta not tell anyone this happened, or you're gonna be killed with your little friend, capeesh?"   
  
 He nodded.  
  
 "You're free ta go." She concluded.  
  
 Taylor smiled, hugged and kissed her and ran out of the apartment. Now he was free from that crazy bitch! However, he hadn't realized the heavy degree of selfishly confessing where Hayes was, but he would soon learn that in the hardest way possible.  
  
 Think of others before you think of yourself. The truth always comes out in the end.


	38. Chapter 38

 Jack Johnson was lounging in the mansion. He was still sad that he could no longer call it the Jack and Jack mansion, but at this point he also wasn't sulking about it. It was always the last thing on his mind and he tried to keep it that way. If he ever even thought about the last glimpse of Jack he ever got, then he'd start tearing up at the drop of a hat. Don't even let the name Jack Gilinsky slip off your sorry lips or else Jack won't be afraid to attack you ruthlessly.   
  
 He hadn't seen Madison in a considerable amount of time. The last time he saw her was the night of Jack's murder, which was two months prior to that moment, so it had been quite a while since he talked to her. Fortunately for Jack, he  _didn't_ want to see Madison. The only reason why he would ever want to see her if she were handcuffed and sobbing in a cop car on the way to the prison where she would be residing for the rest of her life. That would be a moment only in Jack's best and wildest dreams.  
  
 While Jack liked to think of Madison as an evil person, he often overlooked the fact that he was an evil man himself. He had forgotten about the day he raped Holly since it was such a blurred moment in his life, but in this instant he suddenly remembered. Jack hated to admit it to his sadistic self that he snickered at the memory, but since he was alone he didn't feel any guilt. He even said it loud and proud for himself and God to hear.  
  
 "I raped Holly!" He chirped.  
  
 He said it as if it were a joke to him. Jack didn't have any empathy for her. He knew that Holly had blocked out the memory and had no idea it ever happened, so he decided to keep it that way. If she ever found out, he'd be a dead man. She would never forgive him! Who would forgive someone that committed such a sociopathic, malicious crime that is rape? Rape is one of the most evil things a person could commit. It has the power to change how a person thinks, even changing their life. Jack knew this like he knew the back of his hand, and little did he care. All he cared about was himself.  
  
 Anyway, as he was in the midst of his laughter, thinking about the day he raped Holly, there was a coincidental knock on the door. It was almost as if this was on queue, so this made Jack wonder if somebody outside heard what he said. Praying to himself in his head that no one heard, he opened the door to Cameron Dallas.  
  
 Jack gulped.  
  
 "Hey, man," Cam grinned, much to Jack's surprise.  
  
 They did a hand shake and Cam walked into the house. After they were done greeting each other and such just like young men do, they sat at a table in the kitchen and took it from there.   
  
 "So how you doing, man?" Jack began.  
  
 "Well, there's been a lot of stuff on my mind lately," Cam sighed. "Its been kinda hard trying to juggle rapping and taking care of a daughter, but Nash has really been a great help both for my family and especially for my mental state. He's such a great guy."  
  
 "Yeah, he is."  
  
There was silence for a moment. Cam glanced around the room for a moment, and Jack could tell he was trying to gather the right words to tell him something.  _Please don't mention Holly, please tell me you didn't hear anything!_ Jack thought to himself as he waited for Cam to finally speak his mind.  
  
 "So Jack, the reason why I came over here was because I needed to talk to you about something..." Cam broke it to him straight.  
  
 Jack could feel the sensation of nerves kick in again. He gulped once more and knew he had to be up for what he could feel Cameron was going to say.  
  
 "Yeah, what is it?" Jack could feel a ball in his throat.  
  
 "Well, it  _has_ been two months since you-"   
  
 "IS THIS ABOUT JACK?!"  
  
 "NO, JACK! It's about Holly-"  
  
 "NO! I DON'T WANNA TALK ABOUT THAT BITCH!"  
  
 Cam's jaw dropped to the floor. How dare he call her that!  
  
 "Show some goddamn respect! Jesus fucking Christ!" Cam spat.  
  
 "Why does the conversation have to get heated so quickly?!" Jack growled. "Goddamn, I can't have a conversation with any of you without shit escalating so quickly! What the fuck can I do anymore without you all fucking shit up?!"  
  
 "Well raping our girlfriends sure as hell isn't a very wise solution!"  
  
 "HEY! WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL ANYWAY?! YOU KNOW THAT SHE WANTED IT! SHE FUCKING LOVED IT! IT ISN'T RAPE IF SHE LIKES IT!"  
  
 "IT  _IS_ RAPE IF SHE IS CRYING AND TELLING YOU TO STOP!" Cam pointed out. "IF IT WASN'T RAPE THEN YOU WOULDN'T HAVE RAN OUT OF MY ROOM NAKED! I HEARD HER SCREAMING AT YOU TO STOP AND I WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO GET THOSE CRIES OUT OF MY HEAD FOR AS LONG AS I LIVE! BECAUSE OF FREAKS LIKE YOU, I'LL ALWAYS FEAR FOR MY DAUGHTER'S SAFETY AND ALWAYS HAVE HATRED IN MY HEART FOR EVERY GODDAMN MAN SHE MEETS! BECAUSE OF YOU, HOLLY GOT SO DRUNK SO SHE COULD MAKE HERSELF FORGET ABOUT IT AND NOW SHE DOESN'T KNOW THAT SHE IS FRIENDS WITH THE MAN THAT RAPED HER!"  
  
 "THERE'S NO HARM DONE IF SHE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED!" Jack shouted, taking a gun from one of the drawers in the kitchen. Ever since Gilinsky's death, Jack kept a gun in every room of the house just in case of another incident. Evidently it made him quite paranoid.  
  
 "Whoa!" Cam rose his hands in the air. "Jack, please! I just got here! Listen, I came to tell you that you  _gotta_ turn yourself in! How can you live with yourself knowing that you did that to her?!"  
  
 Jack's finger tightened on the trigger.  
  
 "You might have just got here, but the conversation went at a faster pace than most," Jack began his dramatic monologue. "I had long forgot about that night, and ironically enough, the moment when I finally remembered it and laughed at the memory, you came knocking at my door telling me to feel bad about it. Well guess what,  _Cameron,_ I  _don't_ feel bad about it. As a matter of fact, I never will, and I am never going to turn myself in! You may as well try to turn me in, but before you do, you're gonna have to get through  _me!_ "  
  
 Cam gulped.  
  
 "Please don't kill me!" Cam pleaded. "Please, don't be like Madison! Don't be the enemy!"  
  
 Jack walked closer to him, perfecting his aim to prove he was a threat.  
  
 "I'm a force to be reckoned with," He snarled at his friend. "Don't you dare say that I'm  _the enemy_!"  
  
 "Only an enemy would kill someone."  
  
 Jack sniggered.  
  
 "Only a pussy would say that!" Jack mocked. "You're a goddamn idiot if ya think I'm not gonna pull this trigger if you tell me any more about Holly."  
  
 There was a small moment of menacing silence. Cam took this chance to walk out of the room as smooth as he could, but Jack wasn't going to take it. In a flash, he impulsively started shooting a countless profusion of bullets. Blood stained the back of Cam's shirt when his eyes shot to the back of his head, falling dead on his face, numbed by his demise. Jack dropped the gun out of shock and bolted to his friend's dead body, not realizing until that moment that he got himself into some huge trouble. His hollow heart was now thumping in his chest, his whole body shaking as he searched frantically around the house for a sack to put the corpse in, but to no avail.  
  
 "SHIT, WHAT AM I GONNA DO??!" Jack cried to himself as he searched for a place to put the corpse. He began feeling sick, his heart aching in his chest --- But it was from fear of getting caught.   
  
 Not knowing where to put Cam, he felt like he didn't have enough pride to burn the evidence. He decided to just put his dead body in the bathtub upstairs as a trophy. It was disgusting, but Jack loved the idea. If Madison could get away with murder, so could he.   
  
 He slumped Cam over his shoulder and ran to the third floor, carefully placing him in the guest room bath tub. Once he finished, he looked down at the corpse with a sly smile on his face as he brushed off his hands.  
  
 "One man down, now another to go!" Jack cackled.   
  
 But wait...  
  
  _What about Sierra?!_  
  
 SHIT! Jack was bound to be caught! Now that Sierra was stuck with Nash, and Nash would wonder where Cam was, and Cam probably told Nash where he was going, JACK WAS FUCKED!  
  
 "SHIT, SHIT, SHIT! I REALLY SHOULDA THOUGHT THIS THROUGH!" Jack shouted as he paced around the bathroom and repeatedly slapped himself in the face.  
  
 That was when he thought of another idea...  
  
_An escape._  
  
 If Hayes could do it,  _he_ could do it.  
  
 As many witnesses have most likely already realized, Jack always had this mentality that if one person can do it, he can do it as well, even if their motives and how they got to where they were was a totally different scenario. Jack had enough faith in himself to carry out any plan he wished for. Without empathy for most people he laid eyes on, he had nothing to lose... Other than respect, of course, but that's subjective!  
  
 Jack was too rushed to even think about packing. He grabbed his wallet and ran straight to the car to go to the airport. He really thought he could pull of a Hayes Grier runaway, but little did he think about how it was called a  _Hayes Grier runaway_ for a reason. It is because only Hayes Grier can pull it off! He is an experienced gangster (despite his idea of being an "independent gangster". Mafias are mafias because it is a community, not a gang or a one-person tribe), not a rapist and murderer! Well, he was on the run for a murder, so maybe Jack wasn't being too far-fetched.  
  
 He drove to the airport, which took quite a while due to the horrific Californian traffic, and much to his luck there was a traffic jam! This gave Jack more time to think about his escape, which actually made it even worse. It only made him more worried, so his face started to get hot and his whole body shook, his heart pounding even more so, if even possible.   
  
 Trying to dodge his problems, he looked around at his surroundings. It was a pretty rainy day, and the sky and the aroma of the outside was all grey. This hardly helped with the situation, but when all else fails there's always the outside to escape to. However, there really was no escape, because there was a missing person sign on a poll with Jack Gilinsky's face on it.  
  
 Jack's heart stopped. As if on queue, the sign said go and off Jack Johnson was driving. Now he  _really_ had to escape before Cameron's face was on one of those posters!  
  
 Everything after that went by in an instant. He quickly checked into the airport, got everything settled and decided on flying to China. Nobody would find him there in the bustling and polluted streets! Ha ha ha, they had to have lost him now! Right when he walked into that airport, he felt all of his worry slip away. He truly felt that a vacation abroad would give him a free ride from his problems.  
  
 Jack bolted to the plane and sat in his seat. He sat alone in the middle row so he could have time to think. He was grateful that he had brought nothing to pack other than a passport, his phone, headphones, a lighter and some blunts. Now he could start off fresh and not have to worry about Cam decomposing in his bathtub. The plane took off, and Jack couldn't help himself but to hound with laughter. No one would know where to find him if he was in the most populated country in the world!  
  
 "I'm a lost man, now!" Jack whispered to himself with a pleased smirk. He lit a blunt and let his self-pleasure sink into his poisonous skin. 


	39. Chapter 39

  Nash was freaking out. It had been two whole days since Cameron left, and Cameron hadn't showed any signs of where he was since then. Cameron told him that he would stop at Jack's house for a minute to have a talk with him, and he wasn't answering his phone after Nash had called him five times. Sierra had no idea what was going on, and since even poor Nash was confused, no one had the right answers. He was worried that something happened to his lover, and unfortunately, he was right. However, he hadn't discovered this, and Nash was left sleepless as Cameron's disappearance was the only thing on his mind. It was 3 AM and it had already been a long night, so he decided to call up Jack and ask about what was going on to clear his mind.  
   
When Nash called, Jack was sleeping on the plane with his earbuds playing Italo disco. The vibration of his phone in his pocket alarmed him and quickly woke him up from his sleep, but a second after he was back to his somnolent state. His dreary eyes were barely looking at the screen when he answered with a drowsy voice.  
  
 "Hello?" Jack yawned.  
  
 "Hey Jack," Nash replied. His voice was an instant wake-up for Jack. Jack jumped in his seat and was now more alert than a mercat.  
  
 "Heyy, what's up?" Jack tried to sound as casual as possible, but his acting didn't convince Nash. Nash knew something was amiss.   
  
 "I was wondering what's up with Cameron. He said he was stopping at your house, and, well... It has been a whole  _day,_ so I wondered where he was and if he's okay. Is he still at your house?"  
  
 "Cameron?"  
  
 Jack's heart stopped.  
  
 "Yeah," Nash raised a brow. "He went to your house, right?"  
  
 "Yeah, he did. He stopped for a second just to hang out, but he left," Jack lied. "I dunno what could've happened to him."  
  
 Nash could hear the painfully radiating sketchiness in his voice.  
  
 "Jack,  _I know_ that you're lying to me," Nash snapped. "Don't you dare tell me you 'dunno what happened to him'."  
  
 "I'm not lying, I swear!" Jack tried.  
  
 Nash sighed.  
  
 "Stop that!" Nash demanded. "It's way too obvious you're lying! Don't even give me that you 'aren't lying'! 'Trust me, dude, I don't know anything!' Yeah, right! You've never been a good liar!"  
  
 "Why are you acting so weird?!" Jack protested. "I didn't do anything!"  
  
 "Just give up already! I can hear the nervousness in your voice. I can tell when you're lying! This isn't me being crazy or me being irrational! IT IS WAY TOO OBVIOUS! If you weren't lying, you wouldn't even have to defend yourself!"  
  
 "I'm not!"  
  
 " _Jack._ "  
  
 "I don't know where he went, I swear!"  
  
 Nash was now getting impatient and annoyed. More angry than annoyed at this point, he was on the verge of freaking out at Jack, and so he did.  
  
 "JACK, IT ISN'T A BIG DEAL!" Nash yelled. "YOU DON'T REALIZE THAT I AM ASKING SOMETHING SO SIMPLE OF YOU! ALL I ASKED IS IF CAMERON IS DOING OKAY AND YOU HAVE TO LIE ABOUT IT LIKE IT'S A BIG DEAL! WHAT THE HELL EVEN HAPPENED TO CAM TO MAKE IT SUCH A BIG DEAL?!"  
  
 "NOTHING HAPPENED TO CAM!" Jack told the biggest lie of all.  
  
 "OH REALLY?! YOU WEREN'T SAYING THAT WHEN YOU TOLD ME YOU DIDN'T RAPE HOLLY!"  
  
 "WHY DOES EVERYONE KEEP BRINGING THAT UP?!"  
  
 Nash gasped.  
  
 "Wait... Who's  _everyone?!"_ Nash asked with more composure.   
  
 "You guys!" Jack replied. "You guys keep on talking about it!"  
  
 "Like me, Hayes, Taylor?"  
  
 Jack gulped. He shouldn't have said anything. He slapped himself in annoyance. He didn't realize that the whole plane was staring at him, and the pilot told the airport security to kick him off.  
  
 At this, Jack sighed. He gave up on himself and decided he couldn't keep up the lies.  
  
 "Cameron mentioned it," Jack confessed. "It made me really angry. To be honest, I don't see why you guys are suddenly mentioning it two months later."  
  
 "We aren't 'suddenly mentioning it'. Dude, we've been talking about it non-stop ever since it happened," Nash explained. "Shawn called the police, but he didn't have enough evidence to support himself, so the case was closed. Since Holly doesn't know, we're kinda screwed. It's all up to you to turn yourself in out of guilt. I mean, you do feel guilty, right?"  
  
 Jack was silent, he hung up the phone. When he looked up, he saw the airport security waiting to take him.  
  
 "Wait, what are you doing?" He asked nervously, a break of sweat dripping down his face.  
  
 "You have been to disruptive on this flight," One of the security guards explained. "We are going to have to ask you to leave the plane. We've stopped at Tokyo so you can get off."  
  
 "W-W-WHAT?! Look, I'm sorry! I just got into a heated fight with my friend and I promise it won't happen again!"  
  
 "It's too late, the plane is already landing."  
  
 Jack took a moment to feel his surroundings. He could feel the plane landing slowly to the ground. He gulped when he realized his trip wasn't going exactly as planned. Looks like he couldn't pull off a Hayes Grier and go on an epic escape.  
  
 When the plane finally landed, all eyes of the passengers were burning into Jack's skull. He walked with shame out of the plane and into the Tokyo airport, and he could hear the whole plane clapping when he took his last step out. His face was flushed with embarrassment, and he had no choice but to swallow his pride and admit to himself that he wasn't the best escapee; Hayes Grier was.  
  
 Jack made his way into the busy and bustling airport that was Tokyo. The airport looked like a completely different world to him. He knew that Japan was a whole new territory compared to other countries, but he was surprised as to how true it was. It really wasn't just an exaggeration, it was  _real._     
  
 Not in the mood to board another plane, he simply walked out, got on a subway and pulled out his phone to look for a hotel.  _Shit, American phones don't work here!_ He thought when he found out there was no connection. What was he gonna do?! In a country where hardly anyone spoke English, and being a man who knew no Japanese whatsoever, he was in huge trouble. Before he could leave the subway so he could get a flight, the doors closed. His face got hot, and he had no choice but to grab on to a poll in the subway. Off the subway went, and all the passengers were staring at Jack. Being the only white person there, he was quite a sight for the Japanese people. Blonde hair and blue eyes were a rarity in such a homogeneous country like Japan, so the people stared in awestruck. In Japanese culture, it is only common courtesy to look in the other direction and be silent on the subway, but no one could help it. Girls whispered in a language that made no sense to Jack, and everyone was either minded their own business or tried to hide their intense staring. Jack felt the need to say something, but he knew that he shouldn't, so he just stayed silent in embarrassment and let them stare as long as they wanted.   
  
 ---  
  
 After what felt like the longest ride in his young life, Jack hopped off the subway with a feeling of ease. No longer were people staring, and now he was walking on the streets among the Japanese people. This was when it hit him that he had to find a place to stay, so he looked everywhere for other people who looked American. He knew that it was a bit racist or stereotypical, but he searched for anything and anyone that didn't look Japanese. Jack was searching everywhere when he finally found a black boy sitting by himself, leaning against a building.  
  
 "Hey, do you know where I could find a hotel?" Jack asked politely.  
  
 The boy gave him a confused look.   
  
 "Hotel? Nearest hotel?" Jack repeated himself.  
  
 The boy raised a brow.  
  
 "Nani?" The boy asked.  
  
 "What?" Jack asked.  
  
 "Eigo wo hanasemasen!" The boy said.  
  
 "FINE!" Jack growled.  
  
 He marched away and immediately lost patience. Maybe it was a tad bit racist that he expected a black boy to be American, but at this point he was desperate. Jack was lost in a city he knew nothing about and was unable to ask for directions from anyone, and calling out for an English-speaker would be taboo in the streets of the shy and timid public of Tokyo. Losing all hope, he found a city corner and slumped himself there, taking this as some form of karma for killing Cameron. Maybe this was a punishment from God, or perhaps just Jack's ill-fate. Whatever it was, Jack felt like the situation was hopeless. He was already lost and had no idea how to get back to the airport. What was he going to do?  
  
 Jack sighed and lit another blunt. He didn't care that it would pollute the streets (despite the streets being pleasantly clean), and after just one exchange with a boy whom Jack expected to save the day, he gave up on himself. What else was there to do?  
  
 He felt so alone, just smoking his blunt as people passed by and completely ignored him. He was now at the lowest point he had been in a long time, all of this happening in just a matter of thirty minutes. All of this was overwhelming him when a voice suddenly appeared.  
  
 "You really shouldn't be smoking here," A female voice said.  
  
 Jack looked over to see a girl standing over him, dressed in a typical school uniform and short hair. Hearing her English gave Jack a sudden surge of hope.  
  
 "Y-You-You can speak English?!" Jack gasped.  
  
 "Of course I can! It's required to take since 7th grade," She chuckled at his ignorance.  
  
 "THANK GOD! Can you please show me where the nearest and cheapest hotel is?!"  
  
 "Sure, but... Do you speak ANY Japanese?"  
  
 He shook his head.  
  
 "At  _all?_ "  
  
 He shook his head again and blushed. She chortled.  
  
 "You must be American," She said.  
  
 "Yep, how could you tell?" Jack replied.  
  
 "Anyone can spot a tourist. Here, I'm gonna have to show you the way. Foreigners think all Kanji looks the same."  
  
 "Thank you so much! You have no idea how lost I've been!"  
  
 "Yeah... Here, I doubt anyone else could help you. Most people here only know Japanese, so you'd be pretty screwed all by yourself. Plus, most of us are too shy to ever confront a stranger, let alone a  _tourist._  I decided the least I could do was help a hopeless American smoking a blunt in a city corner. By the way, you might wanna get rid of those. The streets look so clean for a reason. Smoking makes you look dirty."  
  
 They were walking along on the streets in silence. Jack was awestruck by the sights around him. It mostly looked like a typical city, but the vibe felt so different. He loved how foreign it felt. It was almost a feeling so strange that it made him feel at home.  
  
 "So what's your name?" She asked him.  
  
 "Jack," He replied.  
  
 "Jack who?"  
  
 "Johnson, Jack Johnson."  
  
 "Jack Johnson? Such an American name; I love it. My name's Himura, Emi Himura, but in Japan we go by our last names. We are all about honoring the family. It's a Confucian concept."  
  
 "Nice," He replied. "So am I Johnson now?"  
  
 "If you wanna be," Himura replied. "But you'll probably be better off as Jonson." --- She said Jonson with a Japanese accent --- "I assume that would be the translation of your name."  
  
 "What would Jack be?"  
  
 She thought for a moment to answer him.  
  
 "You would be Jakku," She replied.  
  
 "WHOA!" He laughed. "That sounds so cool!"  
  
 "Everything is cooler in Japan," She joked.  
  
 "Yeah, that's really true."  
  
 ---  
  
 She walked him to the cheapest hotel they could find. In case he needed anything else, she gave him her number so he could call her on the phone in the hotel room. She did all the talking for him, so she checked him into a room. Hiruma was quite perplexed when he told her he didn't bring any luggage, so she told him that he sure as hell better have money so he could convert it into yen. Since he made a lot of money from rapping, money was the least of his worries. He told her this, and felt quite offended that she didn't know about his music. Nevertheless, he happened to like Hiruma. She was friendly and easy to talk to, so he knew that he had found a new friend. Hiruma promised that she would go shopping with him after school, and Jack was more than happy with this. She dropped him off at his hotel room and there he was: free to himself. His jaw dropped when he saw that the "bed" was just a mat on the floor with a blanket, but he realized that this was just part of their culture. The whole night there had been culture shock to him, and he was thankful that he got the help that he needed, especially in such an unexpected way.   
  
 He felt exhausted from having such an eventful (and chaotic) day, so it was no problem for him to drift off to sleep. He slept like a baby that night, and while he was at the most tranquil state he had been at all day, Nash was up at 5 AM bawling his eyes out. What the hell happened to Cameron?


	40. Chapter 40

 It was the last night of Holly and Hayes' trip in Athens. They spent most of their time venturing around with Carter, going to all the sights you could possibly visit in Athens, and they all had the time of their lives together. The night before, they had visited the Parthenon, and when they got home, the two lovers had a little bit too much fun and ended up having sex. Holly was happy that her relationship had escalated so far, but at the same time, she had only been Hayes' girlfriend "officially" for five days. Was she being too easy? She didn't think so since she felt the love, but at the same time, she really couldn't tell since this was her first boyfriend. A first love can be frightening, but if it really were frightening, then she would never be in a relationship, so she felt like she was probably just overthinking it.   
  
 On their last night in Athens, the two visited a nightclub to enjoy a night of dancing and letting loose. Holly got all dressed up in a short pink dress that revealed her back and some tall black pumps. Hayes was so tall that he still towered over her in her pumps. Hayes thought it was so adorable that he hugged her around her hips and awed, kissing her on top of the head and telling her she looked beautiful. She blushed at this and felt so lucky to be with him. This made her wonder why she ever thought about breaking off their relationship, but at that moment it didn't really matter. He looked so handsome in his leather jacket and white T-shirt that it was all she could focus on.  
  
 "Ready to hit the club?" He smirked.  
  
 "I'm as ready as you are!" She smirked back.  
  
 They took a taxi to the club. Thank God Holly had matured and looked older than 18! What was even better was that they hadn't even asked for ID's, so the two were free to go. The music was pounding in their ears and the Greek nightclub scene was riled-up and alive! The two danced to the music together, Holly being a very good dancer. Taking hip hop for five years didn't hurt, so she was fantastic at dancing. Hayes was pretty good, but his skills at dancing were the least of anyone's worries. They danced the night away, let loose and had themselves a magnificent finale for their adventures in Greece.  
  
 ---  
  
 While Holly and Hayes were having the time of their lives over in Greece, and Jack was in a deep sleep in Japan, Nash was suffering back home in California. He had been watching Sierra ever since Cameron's disappearance, and he was tired of waiting around for Jack to answer him. Enough was enough, and he drove with Sierra to Jack's house. Jack was foolish enough to give Nash a back-up key back when they were the best of friends a few months previous, so Nash unlocked the mansion and walked in to the most revolting smell. It smelled so awful that he told Sierra to stay outside. She pouted but listened to his instructions, so she sat outside and stroked her fingers against the tiles on the steps.  
  
 Nash wanted to find the source of the revolting smell, so he followed the smell up the stairs of the house. When he looked down at his feet for a moment, he noticed what looked to be blood on the steps. Was this the dead body of Jack Gilinsky?! Now Nash was growing nervous, his heart beating in his chest. Finally, he stopped himself at the third floor of the house where the smell was the strongest. He gulped when he saw blood smeared on the door handle of the bathroom. How had no one discovered this sooner? Since he assumed it was the body of Jack Gilinsky, he knew it had been about a month since his death, so why did it take a month for no one to grow suspicious of his disappearance.  
  
 Placing a shaking hand on the door handle, Nash stopped himself for a moment. His hands were touching the blood of a dead person. He knew he'd see a corpse in that bathroom, but he wasn't one hundred percent sure whether or not it could have been Jack Gilinsky's. Worst case scenario, it could have been Cameron's, so he had to mentally prepare himself to see the most grotesque thing he would ever see in his whole life. Nash's heart was thumping harder than it ever had before, and he almost didn't want to open that door, but he knew that deep in his heart he really wanted to. If he wanted to unravel this case, he had to open that door. It just took courage to open it and be able to handle whatever he was opening the door to.  
  
 Swallowing his fear, he walked in the bathroom. He jumped and screamed at the sight of Cameron's corpse lying in the bathtub. It was the most disgusting thing Nash had ever seen! Not only was it his friend, but his friend's corpse that was decomposing! There were large blisters all over Cameron's arms and legs, his whole body swollen. He could barely recognize the face, but he knew for a fact that it was Cameron. If it were Jack, it would be much more decomposed. Plus, he could recognize Cameron's long and skinny body verses Jack's muscular and fit body. Cameron's whole body was a faded sea green color, bloated and reeking of rotted flesh. There were fluids leaking from his eyelids and nose, and the blood that stained his shirt was now brown and dried. After viewing it for a grotesque 15 seconds, Nash shielded his eyes and ran out of the bathroom as quickly as he could. He pulled out his phone and dialed 911 in an instant. He told the operator that he found a dead body at Jack Johnson's residence, giving them the address. When the conversation was over, he quickly ran outside and told Sierra that they would be there for a long time. Sierra asked why in her innocent, childish voice, and this made Nash begin to tear up. He really didn't want to tell her, he really didn't, but he knew that he had to or else she would never forgive him.  
  
 "Jack Johnson is a bad man," He began, his eyes fogging up from all the tears. "I'm sorry, Sierra!"  
  
 "What did he do?" Sierra grew nervous.  
  
 This made Nash cry even more.  
  
 "I'm sorry, but...  _Your father is dead_." Nash confessed.  
  
 Sierra's eyes widened in disbelief.  
  
 "HE'S  _WHAT?!"_ She cried.  
  
 "I'm so sorry, Sierra, I really wish I could have done something, but it's too late. Your daddy is gone. I need you to be strong, because I'm trying so hard to be strong, too!"  
  
 Sierra slowly started tearing up. She didn't fully understand what happened, and she didn't know how to feel. Delusional by the heat of the situation, unable to comprehend a subject as dark as death at such a young age, she felt as if she would see her father again. This wouldn't be the last time she would see her father on Earth. Nash gave her a hug, and this was when it hit her like a pile of bricks that her father was gone.  
  
 "How long is he gonna be gone?" She asked with teary eyes.  
  
 "For a really long time," Nash sniffed.   
  
 "Why?!" She cried.  
  
 "It's a long story. You won't be able to understand until you are older."  
  
 "I WANT TO KNOW NOW!" Sierra was now sobbing uncontrollably. "I need to know what happened to Dad! Why is he gone?!"  
  
 The sirens of the police cars hammered the streets. They could hear the sirens even closer now as two cars drove into the driveway. Nash gave her a hug and a kiss, promising that he would tell her later. Off he went to go talk to the officers, and Sierra lifted an out-stretched hand to tell Nash to come back, but to no avail. As he began answering questions and telling the officers everything he knew about the situation, Sierra just stared in half-sober confusion. She got the gist of what was going on, but she also didn't. After a while of their talking, Nash led the officers into the house. When the herd of serious-minded and heavy-hearted adults walked into the house and walked up the stairs, Sierra watched as she felt a tear stream down her face.  
  
 "Bye, bye, daddy," She whispered to herself.   
  
 ---  
  
 Once the search was over, the police asked where Jack Johnson was. Nash admitted he had no idea, so he called Jack in hopes for an answer. Evidently, Jack wouldn't say anything if he knew that the police were inspecting his house, so they promised to keep quiet during the call. The whole room was silent, anticipating an answer. Nash put it on speaker phone for everyone in the room to hear, and at long last he answered.  
  
 "Nash, what is it?" Jack asked.  
  
 "Hey, man, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry about freaking out at you last night," Nash acted out. "I know that you weren't lying and it was really childish of me to accuse you of that. I was just really worried about Cam and it made me get all pissy and worked-up."  
  
 "R-Really?"  
  
 "Really."  
  
 ---  
  
 Jack let out a sigh of relief. He was happy that Nash believed him, so happy that he actually convinced himself that he was telling the truth. Now Jack was  _seriously_ in denial, and it would obviously only end up hurting him.  
  
 He was still in his hotel room when he got the call. It was about 5:30 AM and the phone call woke him up. The reason why his cell phone suddenly started working was a mere mystery to him, but it was so early in the morning that he didn't even realize it.  
  
 "Well thanks, dude," Jack smiled.  
  
 "Of course," Nash smirked at the thought of getting revenge at Jack. "So Jack, where are you right now?"  
  
 "Oh, I'm in Tokyo right now."  
  
 "TOKYO?!"  
  
 The officers all looked at each other in confusion.  
  
 "Yeah," Jack replied.  
  
 "In  _Japan?!_ " Nash raised a brow.  
  
 "Duh! Where else?"  
  
 "What are you doing in Japan?!"  
  
 "Well, I was gonna go visit Hayes in Greece," Jack made up on the spot, "But to make a long story short, I got kicked off the plane and we landed in Japan, so here I am."  
  
 "Wow, that's great." Nash said in fake astonishment, grinning widely at the officers and giving them a thumbs up. He looked back down at the phone to avoid accidentally slipping out of the act. "So what hotel are you staying at?"  
  
 "Tokyo Kiba. It's a pretty shitty hotel, I do admit, but hey: it was the cheapest hotel in Tokyo, so I took it. I didn't have enough money for something fancy like a 5-star hotel Hayes would go to. Despite the shittiness of the hotel, I do quite like the fact that I have to sleep on the floor. Very traditional."  
  
 Nash was smiling from ear to ear at the officers _. They found their culprit._  
  
 "That's great, it sounds really fun!" Nash replied. "How long are you staying here?"  
  
 "I plan on only staying here for about a week. I would say a day, but it takes so long to get here that it would be a waste to stay for such a short time."  
  
 "Yeah, maybe you'll even see Hayes there. He's always moving around," Nash joked.  
  
 "Yeah, yeah," Jack chortled. "Well, I better go and get some more sleep. Talk to you later, man."  
  
 "Yep, buh-bye."  
  
 Nash hung up and looked up at the officers.  
  
 "Well, now we know where the killer is hiding," Nash stated very matter-of-factually.  
  
 "Yes. You have nothing else to worry about, Nash. We'll take care of the rest of the work," One of the officers said. "You better go now. We need to get an ambulance to put away the dead body.'  
  
 "Right. Thank you so much!"  
  
 "Of course! Have a good day! We'll update you when something happens."  
  
 "Aight, thanks so much!"  
  
 Nash grinned so wide and ran out of the house. When he ran out, he gave Sierra a high five and continued bolting to his car.  
  
 "Why are you smiling?!" Sierra gasped in a disgusted voice.  
  
 "Because daddy's death is gonna be avenged!" Nash cheered.  
  
 "What does that mean?"  
  
 "Your daddy is gonna get what he deserves!"  
  
 "He's gonna be happy in heaven?"  
  
 "Uh.... Yes," Nash said. He didn't want to admit to her the somewhat vicious meaning behind what he originally said, so he just let her be her innocent self and think whatever she thought.  
  
 The two walked to the car and drove on home. It was silent until Sierra finally spoke up.  
  
 "So is Dad gonna have a funeral?" She asked.  
  
 Nash looked at the road ahead of him as if he were in a movie.  
  
 "Of course, sweetie," Nash smirked, "Of course. But first, we gotta get that revenge that I talked about earlier. Then we're gonna have  _two_ funerals."


	41. Chapter 41

 

 

 Shawn was at Sage Vegan Bistro with Taylor, eating jackfruit nachos and having a good time. Both of them were tired of all the chaos going on with Hayes, Nash and Jack, so they wanted to spend time alone together and relax for a minute. Maybe even a little bit of ranting could help them let off some steam.

 "I'm so sick of all the drama," Taylor said.

 "Yeah, me too," Shawn replied. "The gangster thing has really gotten to Hayes. Now he's learned his lesson that he  _knew_ was coming for him sooner or later. He shoulda been smart and go to college. Then he'd have a normal job and none of this would've happened."

 "Exactly! Hell, maybe he'd even find a girl  _his age_ instead of a fifteen year old. She's a nice girl, but she ain't even legal. How're they supposed to do  _anything_  together?"

 "Really! Even then, it's creepy as hell. How can he sleep at night knowing that he's having sex with a girl that was in kindergarten back when he was her age?!"

 "Yeah, and it wouldn't even be a big deal if she was 18! She's 15; she's a child! It wouldn't be so creepy if the age gap was the same but she was 18 and he was 26, but he just couldn't stop himself from waiting three years!"

 "Three years is a long time, though, so I kinda see where he's coming from for that part of it. But for everything else,  _why?!_ Why the hell would he wanna get himself in a relationship like that?!"

 "Not just that, but what the hell is a fifteen year old doing hanging out with a bunch of twenty-somethings?" Taylor added. "She should be hanging out with her little high school buddies talking about cute boys and gossip! I dunno,  _teenager_ stuff!"

 "Yeah, and to make it even worse,  _she's hanging out with a gangster!_ As if hanging out with college-aged guys wasn't bad enough, she just  _had_ to end up with a college-aged  _mobster_!" Shawn pointed out. "Like of all the people she coulda ended up with, it was a mafia guy! That's crazy!"

 "To be fair, she didn't know he was a gangster until later. However, even when he told her, she  _still_ held on to him! Like, what the fuck was going through her mind when he confessed he was a mobster that made her want to stay?! If I was her, I woulda left him right then! Don't get me wrong, he's a great guy, but that's not the kind of guy an adolescent girl should be talking to!"

 "Yeah, he's gonna rub her off the wrong way!"

 "And  _another_ way," Taylor joked. He saw the chance and took it.

 They both laughed at Taylor's cruel joke. Evidently, both boys had a dark sense of humor.

 "Dude, don't tell Hayes that!" Shawn laughed.

 "Really, though!" Taylor replied.

 "But forreal, Hayes has gotta find a nice girl for himself that is  _of age_ and forgot about Magcon. It must be pretty hard for him to find a girl that isn't just using him since they're an old Magcon fan, but at the same time, that's really a struggle for all of us."

 "Really? I've never had to worry about that. All I have to worry about is no one dating me just because of my music."

 "Oh, true. It must be hard to always have people after you."

 "Not really. Ever since I quit doing music three years ago, I've been under the radar and no one has questioned it."

 "Yeah, isn't that weird?! Like, you were a huge name in music for five years,  _half_ the decade! And then suddenly you disappear, and nobody cares! It is unbelievable!" Taylor gleamed.

 "Well, I wouldn't say 'huge name in music', that's kind of an overstatement." Shawn shied off humbly. 

 "No, don't be modest! You were a big name and you know it!"

 "Not really. I mean, I had a lot on my plate at the time, and it was rough to never be able to go anywhere without security. It was a great time in my life, but I would never wanna go back. There was nothing all that fabulous about it. You say that I was a 'big name', but I really wasn't. At least it didn't feel like it, ya know?"

 "You never felt the love?"

 " _Love?"_ Shawn half-chuckled. "I only felt the love when I was on stage, and that was a  _great_ feeling: all eyes on me, all the excitement. They were all such good people, they really were... And I'm not just saying that. The people who came were always so sweet, some of the sweetest people I have ever met."

 "You mean your fans?" Taylor bluntly asked.

 "Taylor, do you consider yourself to have fans?"

 "No."

 "That's how I feel."

 "Yeah, but you've had hits all over the Billboard Charts and sold, I dunno, countless records! I never get to talk to you about it, and I have so many questions about it that I never get to ask."

 "Really? What kinds of questions?"

 "Oh, you wouldn't care," Taylor brushed it off. "Just stuff like what it felt to do it all, to be so known, all this..."

 "But you already know the answer to all those questions," Shawn grinned. "You were in Magcon, which was really big. Then after that, you became an actor and won a bunch of Oscars. If anything,  _I'm_ the one talking to a star, here."

 "Oh, you! Don't say it like that!" Taylor blushed. "Really, I only got one!"

 "You're trying to sound humble, but I know you're proud. I knew it from the moment you said 'I  _only_ got  _one'!_ "

 "'I only got one!'" Taylor said in a funny voice.

 "'I only got one'!" Shawn echoed in an even funnier voice.

 "But in all seriousness," Taylor said in his normal voice, "I think that we are both really accomplished and should be proud of what we did. But what we should especially be proud of is who we are now, and that finally we can live without a bunch of girls chasing us."

 "Yeah," Shawn beamed, also in his normal voice (one never knows with these boys). "That's a great way to put it! I think what I'm most happy about is now we can live like 'normal' people. It was so hard to live knowing that you're being judged by tons of people who don't even know you. Being in a room of just 100 people feels like you're with the whole world, so thousands to millions of people seems like a totally different dimension. So while we prospered and ultimately escaped out of the limelight once we got the chance, there was also a lot more to it than just numbers on the Billboard Charts and auditions from Quentin Tarantino. What really went on during those years was our personal growth and how happy we were, and I would say we were pretty successful at that, and now we are even more successful."

 Taylor nodded, Shawn's wise words warming up his heart.

 "No one could have said it better," Taylor replied in a blissful tone.

 The boys were finished snacking on their nachos, so they paid for their food and then walked out with blissful hearts. The long talk they had left them both sublime, and the vibe they were getting from each other made them feel even better. Both walked together on the street and continued their conversation.

 "Thanks for coming, man. It really means a lot that I got to talk to you today!" Shawn grinned at him with great gratitude.

 "Of course!" Taylor replied. "I'm happy I got to spend some time with you! I know you're a friend I can always count on whenever and wherever. The other guys can be a bit too chaotic, and unfortunately we lost two of the most easygoing guys someone could ever meet."

 "Yeah, that's still hitting me really hard. It's impossible to talk to the other guys about it. Nash will break down crying if you say anything about Cam, which I don't blame him for since they were really in love, but nonetheless it's still annoying. And then there's Jack who is really shady about Cam's death, acting like he's sad when we all know he doesn't care. To be honest, I think he's acting like he cares just for Nash's sake. But at the same time, he makes it way too obvious that he doesn't care, and he doesn't even realize it."

 "You noticed that, too?! Dude, I thought I was the only one! It seems like Jack doesn't even think twice about it, which is weird since they were really good friends. Something must have happened before Cam died. I still don't know how he died and no one is giving me answers!"

 "I know! Nash hasn't told me anything about it, and he's the one that seems to care the most. To even find out he died, I had to hear it through the grapevine and not from my own best friends! Everyone is being really shady and it's getting annoying. Passed annoying at this point. Hell, it's aggravating at this point!"

 "Yeah, and Hayes is being no help! I wish that Matthew, Aaron and Carter still talked to us. Ever since Carter disappeared it hasn't been the same. Yes, there hasn't been  _as much_ chaos... Actually, there is just as much chaos!"

 "Havoc is inevitable in this group." Shawn half-joked.

  
 "True!" Taylor laughed. "I just wish that nobody died, and that everybody grew up to have jobs that weren't illegal. Then we wouldn't have as much drama."

 "Taylor, our group has more drama than a college sorority. I don't know how it happened, but I guess its from being friends with a lot of ex-fuckboys that can't stop their nostalgia from Magcon. It's a harsh thing to say, but it's only true."

 "You're right, you're right. It has been hard for  _most of us_ to move on, and some of us handled it in the worst way possible."

 "Dude, you don't even have to say 'some of us'. I  _know_ you're talking about Hayes!" Shawn chuckled.

 "Yes, but if I said it too bluntly then I'd just be rude!" Taylor chortled.

 "True."

 The boys were passing by a sports bar when Taylor came to a sudden halt. Confused, Shawn asked him what he was doing. Taylor was standing completely still, his eyes wide and locked on the window of the bar. Taylor raised a shaking hand to point at what he was staring at, and Shawn jumped when he saw it. On the TV of the bar was Hayes' mugshot, the word "WANTED" sliding across the screen. Shawn gulped.

 "Shit," Shawn panicked inside, trying to keep cool on the outside. "What the  _hell_ are we gonna do?! THE COPS ARE AFTER HIM!"

 "FOR WHAT?! DID THEY CATCH HIM FOR BEING A GANGSTER OR WHAT?!" Taylor clenched his tense fists, trying to keep himself together.

 The men both ran into the bar to get some answers. An attractive woman holding a tray asked them if they'd like to be seated, and the boys simply said no thank you in a very rushed manner. Perplexed, she just shrugged and continued her work. Taylor and Shawn watched the TV and waited for more answers. Finally, a news anchor came up and the subtitles revealed what Hayes was wanted for.

 "The police are on a search for Hayes Grier, the man responsible for the killing of Joey D'Amico. Sources claim that D'Amico was shot in an alleyway by Grier after they got into a heated fight. Witnesses of the murder include D'Amico's friends as well as the police. Take a look at footage shot by other witnesses of the scene."

 There was a blurred video of Hayes shooting a big man with a big group of men behind him, and then the men all chasing after him. Hayes jumps into a taxi, shortly after running off, and then the footage was suddenly cut off. Shawn gasped while Taylor face-palmed himself and began to repeatedly hit himself.

 "How can Hayes be so dumb?!" Taylor stressed. "If he's gonna be a gangster, he should at least try not to get caught!"

 "That's not the point, Taylor!" Shawn shouted. "Yes, it sucks that Hayes is gonna be locked up for the rest of his life, but the worst part about it was that he took somebody's  _life!_ We know far too much about losing those we care about, and I don't even need to say how much it has effected us. It is  _still_ effecting us! We need to get Hayes to come back to LA and come clean!"

 

 "We can't snitch on him! He's our _friend_!"

 

 "I know that, but it is the right thing to do."

 

 "It's a dumb idea! Do you really think he's gonna turn himself in? Realistically, nobody would do that,  _especially_ an egomaniac like him." _  
_

 

 "True, I never thought of that. But what are we gonna do? We gotta do something!"

 

 "Here's what we're gonna do: we're gonna tell him that he's wanted... If he knows that the police are after him, then at least we will give him a chance to figure out the best way to handle it. After all, it's his situation to fix. At the end of the day, there's nothing we can do about his decisions."

 

 "But what if he doesn't come up with anything?!" Shawn croaked. 

 

 "Then that's his problem to solve," Taylor sighed.

 

 "But that's crazy! We can't just leave him to die!"

 

 "But we can't baby him either. He's a grown man, Shawn. Let the guy do what he's gotta do, and even if he doesn't do it then the fault isn't on us. No matter what he chooses to do, there's nothing we can do about it. All we gotta do is tell him the situation and we have nothing to worry about."

 

 Shawn sighed, a tear streaming down his cheek. He never cried, but the thought of Hayes and his situation made him stressed out. Without meaning to, Shawn always happened to put himself in the perspective of the person in trouble. He tried not to since it made him worried, but this time it was hard not to.

 

 Taylor called up Hayes' cell phone, forgetting about the time difference. Notwithstanding this, Hayes still answered.

 

 "What's up, man?" Hayes answered in a dreamy voice.

 

 "Hey, we've got something to tell you," Taylor began.


	42. Chapter 42

 "Yeah, dude, what's going on?" Hayes asked on the phone.  
  
 Taylor and Shawn exchanged looks. How were they going to tell him?  
  
 "Uh, I hate to tell you this, but we saw your face on TV." Taylor said.  
  
 Now Hayes was confused.  
  
 "Dude, I'm at the airport right now," Hayes mentioned. "I'm about to go check out a flight, so tell me quick. I got a busy night on my hands."  
  
 "You may not wanna get a flight," Shawn quickly added.   
  
 "DUDE!" Taylor whispered.  
  
 "Why not?!" Hayes raised a brow. "What's going on? And why did you see me on TV?! Is it from Dancing with the Stars or something?!"  
  
 "I wish it was," Taylor said. "But unfortunately, it was a  _mugshot."_  
  
 Hayes dropped the phone, his jaw falling to the floor. His face growing hot, he quickly picked the phone back up with shaky hands.  
  
 "A MUGSHOT?!" Hayes shouted, oblivious to the people around him. He had so many embarrassing moments in his life that he just didn't care anymore about what other people thought... Or how they felt.  
  
 "Yeah, they said they're on the lookout for you since you killed a man," Taylor whispered so passersby wouldn't suspect anything.  
  
 "WHAT?!" Hayes gasped.  
  
 Without a single turn back, he ran out of the airport with his luggage. Holly was sitting on a bench at this time, reading a newspaper when she looked up and saw him leaving. Her eyes widened at this and she got up, asking him what he was doing.  
  
 "I'm staying for a while longer!" Hayes explained frantically, still in a hurry as he hustled back to the parking lot.  
  
 "WHY?!" Holly clamored. "I gotta get back to-"  
  
 "YOU KNOW WHAT?!  _FIND_ A FUCKING WAY BACK TO CHICAGO! I GOTTA GO!"  
  
 "WHY?! AND HOW CAN I POSSIBLY GO BACK WHEN I DON'T HAVE ANY MONEY TO DO SO?!"  
  
 "YES YOU DO! YOU KNOW I GAVE YOU TONS OF MONEY! JUST GO THE FUCK HOME IF YOU DON'T WANNA COME WITH ME!"  
  
 "FINE,  _LEAVE!_ CONTINUE RUNNING AWAY FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!"  
  
 Holly stormed off. Was that really necessary for him to yell at her like that? It made her angry, and so she gripped her suitcase and got a flight back to Chicago. Not only did his hostility make her angry, but the icing on the cake was how she had no idea what he was mad about! Why was he going back? Why wasn't he telling her anything? Nonetheless, she forgot about it 10 minutes later and went on with her day. To be frank to herself, she was actually quite relieved she was going back by herself. She loved her trip with Hayes, but she knew that if she spent another day with him, they would start to grow sick of each other. So she took this as a sign from God that she needed some alone time, and some sweet, pleasant alone time she got.    
  
 ---  
  
 Hayes was scared for his life. For the first time, he knew he was in danger. Of course he knew this in the past, but he was in denial and believed he would find a way to get out of it. This was truly a wake up call for him that a tragic end result would be inevitable if he didn't come up with a good plan fast. Now that his mugshot was everywhere (the mugshot was taken when he robbed from a convenience store back when he was 18), he had nowhere to turn to. He could be recognized by anyone after a good amount of time went by and the news story spread everywhere. He was hoping this would be one of those news stories that shows up one time and everyone forgets about it, but the fact that he was an ex-teen star didn't help him at all. Since he was so well known back in his prime, he knew that the story would spread everywhere. Once the news would reach Greece, his life was over. Now he needed a real good plan, and he didn't know if running away would allow it.  
  
 Keeping in mind that it would be a bit odd to check back into the hotel he stayed at previously, he found his way to another hotel called Marina-Athens. He knew he couldn't blow all his money since he would be staying there for a while, so he settled for a hotel that wasn't 5- or 4-stars like he usually did. He liked to use his wealth as an advantage, but he was also smart with his money and knew how to not spend it all. Furthermore, he'd be making some money from selling some dope he had leftover, so just in case anything happened he'd still have some dough to spare.  
  
 Anyway, he checked into the hotel under the fake name Quincy Holmes. He didn't want an old idea to just be a dumb, cringe-worthy memory that never helped him in the long run, so he decided this was the name he would go by as he further explored Athens. If Carter could do it,  _he_ could do it. This attitude may have been not that smart in the long run, but he didn't think it through all that much. Critical thinking wasn't Hayes' forte whenever he was under pressure, and in this moment he was feeling anxious from the news he just heard. When he pressed in the room key to his room, he sat on his bed and tried reassuring himself.  
  
 "Nothing's gonna happen, nothing's gonna happen..." He chanted to himself as he rocked on the bed.  
  
 ---  
  
 The Panthers were set. They got Taylor to leak the details of where Hayes was, and now all they needed to know was where Hayes was staying. Thankfully for the Panthers, this was the day when Hayes checked in to Marina-Athens, so Hayes told Nash just a few hours before. Now they had to break into Nash's house and force him to confess his troublesome brother's whereabouts.  
  
 Nash was making tea for himself when the men busted down the door of his apartment. He was too traumatized to do anything, so his big blue eyes becoming the size of bowling balls once he heard the sound of the door crashing onto the floor. He was shaking, his whole body getting hot, and right when he dialed the first digit of 911, a man much bigger than Nash nailed him to the wall and the phone plonked to his feet.  
  
 "SO YOU BETTA TELL ME WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT HAYES GRIER --- OR WE'LL BE GETTIN' IN A SCUFFLE!" The man bellowed. "SO YOU'S BETTA TELL ME WHERE HE IS AND WHERE HE STAYIN' AT!"  
  
 "I- I- I- I don't know!" Nash mewed.  
  
 The man pounded his fist into the wall. Nash let out a small squeal when the man slapped him in the face.  
  
 "I KNOW YOU'S LYING!" The man wasn't tolerating his noncooperation. "NOW TELL ME WHERE THE MAN IS!"  
  
 "I DON'T KNOW! I DO-"  
  
 The man punched him in the face and then kneed him in the crotch. At this, Nash fell to the floor and his eyes rolled to the back of his head. One of the other men, this one about the same size as Nash, picked up his phone and started reading through his texts with Hayes. Through this, he discovered the hotel Hayes was staying at and that he would be there for another few days. He announced this information to the rest of the men in the room, so the man who punched Nash mockingly thanked him and ended it with a kick to the stomach. Nash gripped his shirt in the place he got kicked and growled. What the hell just happened?  
  
 His face hurt, still in pain from the slap and punch. Now he regretted lying to them, knowing that no matter what he did, the end result was inevitable: they would know where Hayes was, and there was nothing Nash could do about it. All he wanted to do was protect his baby brother, and he had failed doing so. At that moment, he wished he had just told them. Then he wouldn't have been lying hopelessly on the floor, clenching his stomach, feeling regretful and already remorseful for Hayes. It hadn't happened yet, but Nash already knew it was coming... Hayes was going to get killed by those men, and there was nothing he could do about it. A little surge of hope ensued once he realized he could text him to get out of Greece, but his heart quickly sank once he got up, looked around and realize that the men took his phone.  _Shit._ Not only was it his  _phone_ , something he couldn't live without, but it was the only way he could save Hayes! He could've went to someone's house and called him from there, but he was too in pain to go anywhere. His whole body ached, and his heart still thumped from trauma. He was still scared out of his mind, and although his pain was trying to stop him, he felt like he couldn't give up. Throwing his pain out the door, he walked out of the apartment and strutted to the elevator. He was feeling confident until he looked up and saw that  _the men who broke into his house_ where already in there. His panic reached an all new high when he looked into the eyes of one, all their cruel, heartless eyes on Nash.  
  
 "Going somewhere?" The man who looked into his eyes mocked, pulling out a gun. As the door shut, he swiftly shoot Nash in his chest. It was too quick for Nash to run out of the way, and he feel to the floor with his shaking hands clutching his heart. Nash let out a single deep last breath, and with that his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he collapsed. His pale, frigid body fell to the floor, his arms sticking out as if reaching for a last breath of fresh air. Heart no longer pounding fast, eyes no longer wide with fear. His last moment alive was traumatic, and his first moment dead was peaceful and solemn.   
  
 The men escaped the apartment complex fast enough for no one to suspect them. At the sound of the gunshot, the neighbors of the once-respiring Nash dashed out of their apartments to gasp at the sight of their fallen friend. The deceased Nash was lying there, downward on his stomach that was caked in blood, the rest of his body blanketed with chills and eerie tranquility.   
  
 "WHAT HAPPENED?!" One of the neighbors shouted, a lean woman with long black hair and bangs. Nash only saw her, never truly knowing her, so seeing him dead was the last thing she expected to ever see.   
  
 "I DON'T KNOW! I HEARD A GUNSHOT, SO I KNOW SOMEBODY KILLED HIM!" A man bawled. He was another neighbor, a tall, blonde athletic man that resembled a quintessential Germanic.   
  
 The two both dropped to the floor and probed the corpse. As the woman continued to do this, the man called the police. Neither of them ever getting in a situation like this, they were dumbfounded as to what they should do. It may seem easy to handle, but when it actually happens, one realizes the shock a person gets from situations like this. To make matters worse, when the police came, that was when they promptly recognized him from being in Magcon as well as his other works.  
  
 "HE WAS THAT GUY FROM THE OUTFIELD?!" The woman gasped.  
  
 "I remember that movie! He was Jack!" The man added.  
  
 "Yeah, and now Jack is  _dead._ "  
  
 " _Nash_ is dead," the police officer pointed out, an intimidating man that's face closely resembled Joseph Stalin.  
  
 "Unfortunately," The woman said. "He was so nice. I didn't really know him, but whenever my cat would run out of my apartment, he would walk up and pay attention to her. He was always so friendly... It's really shocking to know that I'll never see him again."  
  
 "I wonder why they killed him," The man replied. "I wonder if they knew him or something. I mean, you'd think they would wanna kill  _all of us_ if it was just any other murder. Maybe it had something to do with his old work."  
  
 "Have you been watching the news lately?" The officer asked them.   
  
 Both shook their heads no.  
  
 "We're looking for his brother, Hayes Grier," The officer said. "He killed a man after they got into a fight, and I'm thinking that somebody was trying to get payback. We will have to go into further investigation in order to find out if this is true, but that is what I'm interpreting from this."  
  
 The two nodded their heads. It was a reasonable assumption, and the thespian chain of events greatly interested them. Drama was written all over the Grier family, and the woman and man wanted to get in on it.  
  
 As the officer called for the other police and got the corpse into an ambulance, the woman and man talked more about it.  
  
 "There's so much going on!" The woman commented. "First his brother killed a man, and then he gets killed for revenge. It's crazy!"  
  
 "Yeah," The man answered. "It's so much drama that I wanna know more about. I know it has nothing to do with me, but it's really interesting to know that we live near a man who got into all this chaos that no one knew about. I only knew Nash from having a few talks with him, and I can't believe I was stupid enough to never realize that he was famous. He looks so different know that he was unrecognizable!"  
  
 "I know, right?! I could see a similarity, and now that I know it's more than obvious. I guess since I was never a big follower of his work, it wasn't a big deal to me so I never realized it."  
  
 "Yeah, plus he was too modest to ever say, 'Hey, I used to be famous!'"  
  
 "Yeah, I could tell he was a really humble guy."  
  
 "He was. I only talked to him on occasion, but from the times I did I really got to know him. He was so friendly... Sometimes, he'd just walk up to my door and say, 'Hey, Nathan, wanna come over for a few drinks?' And then we'd go over to his place and talk for a while. We haven't done that in a few years, but those times were great."  
  
 "Really? That's nice. He never did that to me, but that's probably because I was never really home. Hell, I didn't even know his name!" The woman, Juliette, remarked.  
  
 "Yeah, and I did, so I'm surprised I still didn't recognize him!" Nathan replied.  
  
 "Well hey, none of us did."  
  
 "True. But nonetheless, should we tell everyone else about what happened?"  
  
 "I bet they'll probably tell everyone that he died. Plus, I don't know a lot of people in this complex. I know you and I know Max,  _used_ to know Nash, but I don't know anybody else."  
  
 "Me either. Let's just leave it to them to tell everyone."  
  
 "Yeah."  
  
 Later on that day, they looked up more information about Nash. They discovered that his other friends Cameron and Jack Gilinsky had died, and they also found out who he was still friends with in Magcon. They thought it would be nice to do something for them to make them feel better, so they bought flowers to give to the other ex-Magcon boys in memoriam. They left flowers at Shawn's door, Hayes' door, Taylor's door, and at the graves of Jack G and Cameron all with the same note. The note wrote:  
  
_Hello,_  
_We are the neighbors of your friend, Nash Grier. We found out about the tragedy and wanted you to keep in mind that we are all sending prayers and blessings down your way. We wish the best for you and the Grier family. Nash was a very good man and we know that heaven has earned a new angel. Rest in peace, Nash._  
_Best wishes,_  
_Nathan and Juliette_  
  
 The next day, when Shawn opened his door, he found the flowers and was flattered. His eyes stained red from all the tears he had spilled earlier after he heard the news from Taylor, he took the flowers and the note and placed them in his living room. With this, he called up Taylor and told him about the flowers. He told him how flattered he was and how generous these people were.  
  
 "While I thank them and will always remember them for this, there's also something else that we need from them," Shawn said into the phone.  
  
 "What's that?" Taylor sniffed, still crying from the news.

   
 "We need to ask them about Nash. We need to find out what happened. I feel like this happened because of The Panthers, so we need to at least keep Hayes safe before it's too late."


	43. Chapter 43

 Eight Panthers were in the airport, all dressed like a mere posse of businessmen ready to go on a trip; they boarded for Athens and knew their plan would be a success. They were lucky that airport security was a lot less strict in the year 2023 due to the guns they brought in their suitcases! Once they got in line and headed into the plane, showing their passports in all, they all sniggered and chattered about the plan without making it too evident.  
  
 "This will be a success!" One of them snickered to the other behind him.  
  
 "Yep, the rookie's gonna  _get it!_ " The one replied, whispering the last part in case anybody eavesdropped.  
  
 The line began moving into the plane and they knew Hayes was in for a treat. They casually swaggered into the plane and sat in their seats together, all giving each other looks of smug satisfaction as the other strangers boarded the plane. After the pilot gave his paradigmatic ramble about the rules of the plane and whatnot, the plane took off, and one of them confirmed with a smirk, "Boys, we did it."  
  
 ---  
  
 Two days later, Hayes woke up in his hotel room knowing it was time for him to go home. He was getting awfully homesick, and at this point, he had forgotten all about what his friends had said about the wanted sign. Never had he been so homesick that he would be risking going to court over a murder case, or worse case scenario there would be no court case and he'd be sent straight to the big house. Nonetheless, he was so tired of traveling that all he wanted to do was go to LA. Cruel punishment was the last thing on his mind.  
  
  He needed some essentials at the store for when he got home, so he took a stop to the store. To be edgy, he wore the clothes that he stole from a man's house back when he was in Tel Aviv. It felt like so long ago that he forgot that he did it! Tel Aviv had to be one of his favorite places he ever visited, and he knew that if he were to ever travel again, that would be the place to go.  
  
 Casting eyes all around the store, searching for what he needed and what he could possibly need, he suddenly got a phone call from an unknown number. Puzzled, he answered it.  
  
 "Hey," Hayes said. "I'm sorry, I don't have your number. Who is this?"  
  
 "Hi, this is Nash's neighbor, Juliette." A female voice replied in a friendly voice. Something seemed really off. He couldn't put his finger on what, but he could sense it. "Is this Hayes?"  
  
 "Yeah."  
  
 "Nash's brother, right?"  
  
 "Right."  
  
 "Well, uh... I'm sorry I have to tell you on the phone, but your brother is dead."  
  
 Hayes' heart stopped.  
  
 His eyes widened.  
  
 Heart growing weak, he clutched it.  
  
 His eyes were now rolling to the back of his head.  
  
 There was a sudden pain he felt in his back, and then he collapsed to the floor.  
  
 He was out.  
  
 Behind him was a Panther, smoking a cigarette with a gun in his other hand. With three bullets, he successfully killed Hayes Grier. They got what they wanted... They won.  
  
 Hayes Grier was dead.   
  
 "We did it, boys," The shooter let out a sigh of relief.  
  
 One of the others pulled out his gun and threatened everyone in the store that he'd shoot if they interfered. The other seven pulled the corpse out of the store and put it in a sack they already had prepared for him as if this was a simple task to complete. They were so prepared in this feat that they were set on Hayes getting killed, nothing getting in their way, and that was what they got. His corpse was now their trophy, so they used an illegal airport (yes, these exist by the year 2023. They are only used by criminals and everything is provided by those who were once in the mafia. Crazy, right?) to haul the body back to Los Angeles. When they got home, they showed the body to the other Panthers and they all cackled at the sight. The Big Boss took a picture of the dead body, smirking so wide at the sight. This felt like the biggest accomplishment of his life.  
  
 "We did it, boys," The Big Boss laughed. "The rookie is dead, the wannabe is finished with! We can die happy, boys. We can die happy knowing that this bigot died far before us."  
  
 With two Griers dead, the others were yet to discover Hayes' death. The mafia was so pleased, and non-admittedly feeling a bit of remorse. The remorse told the smallest bit of morals they had buried deep beneath their hearts that they couldn't kill the rest of Hayes' family as they had originally planned, so they stuck with this. None of them felt like the family deserved to die as a price of Hayes' mediocre "mafia" status. While it may sound unlike the mafia, we are all human. Sociopaths weren't the only ones in the mafia. Those who had empathy were a majority, and they couldn't help but feel it with this one.   
  
 Rest in peace, Hayes. Rest in peace.  
  
 ---  
  
 A few months pass and the boys still wonder where Hayes is. They eventually plan on filing a police report for a missing person, but they get a letter from an anonymous grieving mafia member admitting to their crime. The letter had no possible way to trace it back to wherever it came from, but they didn't need to. Evidently they knew it was from the Pink Panthers.  
  
 Surprisingly, they weren't angry or upset. The boys already felt as if he died, and they knew deep in their hearts the fate of Hayes Grier. They were already prepared for the news before even hearing it. While they mourned for him, they also didn't feel all that hurt. They hated to admit that this was the fate that was expected of him, so there was no need to cry about it. Hayes was running from the truth for all those months of travelling, and running from the truth instead of looking them straight in the eyes only hurt him in the end. It was a valuable lesson that was unfortunately taught much too late to him, so the boys took this as a sign. None of them wished what happened to Hayes on their worst enemy... While Hayes had his fun in the many places he visited, he was still always living with fear in his heart. Relief overfilled the boys when they realized this fear would leave Hayes now that he was in heaven. He couldn't run from fear anymore, as the truth always comes out in the end. No one can run from their faults forever.  
  
 "Sometimes you have to look fear in the eyes, and tell that fear that you aren't gonna run from it anymore," Taylor said at Hayes' funeral, overlooking all that had attended. There was a massive crowd of friends and family, many weeping and all with sadness in their hearts... All of them but the ex-Magcon boys. They all knew that Hayes was happier dead. There would be a lot of truth he would have to face if he was still alive, and they knew well that he wouldn't be able to take it. They were relieved that their friend could finally be happy again.  
  
 In the front row of the church was a hard-faced Holly, her hands resting on her baby bump. She was in her second trimester of her pregnancy, the baby daddy being Hayes. She was attending the funeral of her first love...  _And_ her baby's father. She was going to abort it right when she found out she was pregnant, but Shawn and Taylor convinced her otherwise. This was the last piece of Hayes left in the world, and they told her it was a sign from God that she couldn't let Hayes' direct line die. Holly took this as their love was too strong to die, so she kept the baby. Shawn and Taylor supported her with the expenses, their wealth being a big help as Holly didn't have a lot of money. They would do anything to help support the little Hayes as well as Holly whom they adored a lot and didn't want to see fail.  
  
 "Unfortunately, Hayes ran from his fears, and this is what happened." Taylor continued. "While none of this is his fault, it could have been prevented if he told himself to walk with his fears. Hayes will always serve as a symbol to never run from your fears, but instead walk with him. Live with them. Don't let them fear you. Let those monsters become your friends, and let those friends become your strengths."  
  
 Taylor left the podium as the whole church filled with clapping. Holly clapped for him, a tear streaming down her cheek. A few months later, she gave birth to a little Hayes. His name was Sebastian Hayes Mendes, and once Holly turned 16, she married Shawn Mendes. Shawn was her second love, but not at all second-rate. He was sweet and reminded her a lot of Hayes' good side. If only he was still there to show his good side; she wanted him to be there to also see their beautiful son, but most of all because she missed him. She loved him so much that she regretted not staying in Athens with him, but what was there to do?  
  
 As Shawn cradled little Sebastian in his arms, he put one arm around Holly as they sat on their porch together. They shared an extravagant Calabasas home together, every teenage mother's dream. While she felt like it was way too soon for her to have a baby, she was still thankful that she was lucky enough that she married a rich man whom she was also deeply in love with. She was no gold digger, but there was a big reason to be thankful.

 She was thinking a lot about how she would tell her son about Hayes. It would be rough to hear that your ill-fated dad died in the hands of the mafia he ran from, so how could she tell Sebastian without destroying him emotionally?

  
 "Are we ever going to tell him about his dad?" Holly eventually asked after a peaceful silence.  
  
 "Of course!" Shawn replied, already knowing this question would be coming some time or another. "Why wouldn't we?"  
  
 "I don't know, it might hit him hard."  
  
 "No it wouldn't. He'd love to hear about his father! Imagine all the stories we could tell him about Hayes! Hayes always had the best stories." Shawn kept optimistic, which began to inspire Holly for the rest of her motherhood.  
  
 "I guess, but I wish he could live to tell them." She replied.  
  
 Shawn kissed her on the head, cuddling closer.  
  
 "Well then  _you_ must live to tell them," Shawn replied. "Besides, you were there for most of them."  
  
 They cuddled closer on the bench, holding their son. She did live to tell them, and Sebastian lived to listen. He loved hearing stories about his father, and it made him so prideful that he lived to tell his children, and they lived to tell their grandchildren, and the story of Hayes Grier never died out. Hayes might have never lived to see his son, but his son lived to form a whole new legacy of Griers ready to tell his story. Hayes will always live on in their hearts with his story of virtue and truth. For the rest of eternity, the new generations of Griers couldn't thank him enough for teaching them that story. The story that touched so many lives would live forever.


End file.
